OHIO   SCHOOL  LIBRARY 


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the  librarians,  at  stated  periods  throughout  the  year,  to  oe  prescribed 
by  the  Boards  of  Education,  or  oilier  school  officers  duly  authorized 
by  the  Boards,  without  regard  to  the  sessions  of  the  schools. 


II I  S  T  0  R  Y 


STATE    OF    OHIO, 


BY 

JAMES   W.   TAYLOR. 


FIRST   PERIOD. 
1G50— 1787. 


CINCINNATI: 

H.   W.    DERBY   &   CO.,   PUBLISHERS. 
SANDUSKY: 

C.    L.    DERBY    &    CO. 
1854. 


F  ¥\  i 


Entered  according  to  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1854,  by 

II.  W.  DERBY  &  Co., 

In  the  Clerk's  office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  District 
of  Ohio. 


FRANKLIN   PRINTING   CO. 
Columbus,  Ohio. 


PREFACE. 


THE  History  of  that  region  of  North  America, 
which  constitutes  the  State  of  Ohio,  may  properly 
be  divided  into  four  epochs. 

The  First  Period,  or  the  ante-territorial  epoch, 
engrosses  the  present  volume.  Commencing  with 
the  obscure  memorials  and  traditions  of  the  early 
Indian  tribes,  which  are  preserved  in  the  faithful 
relations  of  Jesuit  adventure  upon  the  inland  lakes 
and  rivers  of  the  continent — tracing  the  rise  and 
progress  of  the  fearful  struggle  for  the  Ohio  and  St. 
Lawrence  valleys,  between  those  European  powers, 
that  the  lapse  of  a  century  finds  in  zealous  alliance 
and  with  apprehensive  gaze  turned  in  an  opposite 
direction  —  dwelling,  once  more,  upon  fragmentary 
relics  of  that  Indian  occupation  in  Ohio,  which 
the  first  European  settlers  found  in  the  Wyandot, 
Delaware,  Ottawa  and  Shawanese  successors  of  the 
almost  mythical  Eries  of  the  seventeenth  century — 
repeating  the  simple  chronicles  of  Moravian  zeal  and 
courage,  which,  not  unfruitful  of  beneficent  influence 
upon  the  children  of  the  forest,  are  also  recognized 
by  an  intelligent  reader  to  have  been  an  agency 

(3) 

M108097 


IV  PREFACE. 

extremely  salutary  and  effective,  in  the  protection 
of  an  exposed  frontier  during  the  disastrous  hours  of 
the  American  Revolution — narrating  the  incidental 
effect  of  that  great  struggle  upon  the  rude  commu 
nities  of  savage  life,  which,  at  remote  intervals,  were 
familiar  to  the  trader  and  missionary  between  Lake 
Erie  and  the  Ohio ;  and,  finally,  preserving,  with  the 
fullness  of  detail  which  authenticity  demands,  those 
early  monuments  of  continental  legislation,  that 
have  proved,  in  their  fuller  development,  the  deep 
and  broad  foundations  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Ohio, 
the  following  pages,  as  the  author  needs  not  to  be 
reminded  by  others,  hardly  emerge  from  those  mists 
of  time,  which  distinguish  an  antiquarian  era  from 
the  more  sharply  defined  annals  of  our  subsequent 
history.  The  dates  of  the  title-page— 16 50-1 787- 
are  made  conspicuous,  as  an  epitome  of  the  author's 
design,  which  perhaps  may  be  deemed  more  curious 
than  useful.  Its  execution  was  certainly  undertaken 
— at  first  without  any  view  of  permanent  publica 
tion — mainly  upon  that  sort  of  impulse,  so  admirably 
illustrated  by  Walter  Scott,  in  his  delineation  of 
the  Antiquary.  The  subsequent  periods  of  Ohio 
history,  according  to  the  classification  above  referred 
to,  are  as  follows :  The  Second  Period,  1787-1802, 
may  be  denominated  the  Territorial;  the  Third,  1802 
-1815,  that  of  State  Organization ;  and  the  Fourth, 
1815-1851,  that  of  State  Development,  until,  with 


PllEFACE. 


the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  of  the  latter  year, 
our  Ohio  has  reached  a  career  of  Progress — a  period 
when  the  heterogeneous  elements  of  her  population 
may  be  expected  to  mature  into  a  type  of  character, 
and  the  refinements  of  society  and  culture  will  be 
come  prevalent. 

The  first  is  unlike  the  subsequent  periods  in  sev 
eral  particulars,  that  have  not  been  without  their 
influence  upon  the  style  and  arrangement  of  the 
present  volume.  Of  course,  prior  to  1787,  the  mate 
rials  existed  only  in  libraries — in  books  or  manu 
scripts — while,  since  that  date,  much  which  would 
arrest  the  attention  and  investigation  of  a  historical 
student,  rests  in  the  memory  of  the  living.  Besides, 
the  authorities  for  whatever  relates  to  Ohio  from 
1650  to  1787,  are  not  numerous,  and  consist  of  rare 
volumes  long  since  out  of  print.  The  details  con 
tained  in  this  work,  have  been  wrested,  therefore, 
from  the  dead  hand — mort  fjcige — of  old  books,  and 
because  these  w7ere  inaccessible  to  most  readers,  and 
unlikely  to  transpire  in  new  editions,  I  have  not 
restrained  myself  from  ample  quotations.  In  doing 
so,  it  has  been  an  unavoidable  result,  that  every 
variety  of  style  breaks  the  currents  of  the  following 
chapters ;  but  I  have  resisted  the  disposition  to 
paraphrase,  whenever  it  seemed  that  the  language  of 
the  ii'itncss  was  in  any  respect  desirable,  cither  for 
the  statement  or  elucidation  of  a  doubt,  or  as  an 


VI  PREFACE. 

illustration  of  men  or  times.  If  the  freedom  and 
fullness  of  citation  from  such  unique  publications  as 
the  Journal  of  Rogers,  James  Smith's  story  of  Indian 
captivity,  or  the  truthful  and  quaint  narratives  of 
the  Moravians,  Heckewelder  and  Loskiel,  is  irksome 
to  the  reader,  the  only  apology  here  offered,  or  which 
the  nature  of  the  case  admits,  is,  that  the  practice 
in  question  was  adopted  from  a  sentiment  entirely 
opposite  to  the  vanity  of  authorship.  It  was  de 
liberately  adopted  for  the  sake  of  authenticity, 
although  sacrificing,  in  a  considerable  degree,  the 
unity  of  the  volume. 

In  respect  to  Indian  orthography,  also,  the  indul 
gence  of  the  reader  is  entreated.  The  names  of 
places  and  personages  are  written  with  infinite 
variety,  and  I  have  preferred,  especially  when  a 
quotation  was  in  hand,  to  forbear  any  effort  to 
conform  the  orthography  in  these  instances  to  any 
other  than  the  writers'  own  standard.  The  names 
of  "  Coshocton,"  still  applied  to  the  Forks  of  the 
Muskingum,  and  of  "  Bockengehelas,"  the  noted 
war-chief  of  the  Delawares,  may  be  particularly 
mentioned,  as  illustrations  of  the  confusion  of  tongues 
which  pervade  aboriginal  nomenclature. 

Indeed,  these  pages  aim  at  little  more  than  a 
compilation  of  memorials  and  traditions,  hitherto  dis 
persed  and  often  inaccessible.  The  writer,  perhaps 
from  force  of  habit,  has  been  indisposed  to  assume  a 


PREFACE.  Vll 

relation  to  their  contents  much  different  from  that 
of  an  Editor.  Hereafter,  it  may  be,  he  may  sustain 
with  more  confidence,  the  independent  bearing  of 
authorship.  Meanwhile,  the  Press  of  Ohio  are  urged 
to  verify  or  expand  the  suggestions  of  this  volume, 
so  far  as  connected  with  their  respective  localities. 
The  book  may  thus  constitute  a  nucleus  of  historical 
inquiry,  and  if  so,  notwithstanding  in  many  particu 
lars  it  may  be  convicted  of  mistake  or  omission,  yet 
the  aggregate  of  historical  knowledge  will  probably 
be  increased. 

The  Indian,  during  the  period  which  bounds  the 
present  publication,  is  of  course  the  central,  almost 
the  exclusive,  figure  in  the  scenes  described.  There 
has  been  no  attempt  to  urge  any  hypothesis  upon 
his  antecedents — no  disposition  to  dogmatize  upon 
his  character  or  destiny.  So  far  as  his  personality 
has  been  inseparable  from  the  progress  of  events,  he 
has  moved  into  view,  but  also  been  suffered  to  pass 
from  vieAV  without  special  challenge.  In  Ohio,  the 
Indian  was  a  temporary  sojourner, — not  linked  so 
inseparably  to  the  soil  as  the  Six  Nations  to  their 
"  Long  House,"  between  Niagara  and  the  Hudson. 
But  while  the  tribes  who  were  found  in  occupation 
of  Ohio,  were  comparatively  strangers  to  that  region 
— having  moved  thither  between  1720  and  1750  — 
yet  they  are  so  far  identified  with  its  plains,  forests 
and  waters,  that  any  inquiry,  however  cursory  or 


Vlll  PREFACE. 

incidental,  into  their  habits  and  history,  is  likely  to 
become  an  enthusiasm.  The  geography  of  the  State 
is  likewise  suggestive  of  the  aboriginal  dwellers. 
The  streams,  more  than  the  political  subdivisions, 
illustrate  their  vanished  dialects,  as  has  been  beauti 
fully  expressed  in  some  lines  by  WILLIAM  J.  SPERRY, 
formerly  of  the  Cincinnati  Globe,  entitled  "A  Lament 
for  the  Ancient  People,"  and  which,  although  a  di 
gression  and  not  historically  exact,  are  here  inserted, 
as  well  for  their  intrinsic  merit  as  from  a  personal 
regard  to  the  writer : 

"  Sad  arc  fair  Muskingum's  waters, 

Sadly,  blue  Mahoning  raves ; 
Tuscarawas'  plains  are  lonely, 
Lonely  are  Hockhocking's  waves. 

From  where  headlong  Cuyahoga 

Thunders  down  its  rocky  way, 
And  the  billows  of  blue  Erie 

Whiten  in  Sandusky's  bay, 

Unto  where  Potomac  rushes, 

Arrowy  from  the  mountain  side, 
And  Kanawha's  gloomy  waters 

Mingle  with  Ohio's  tide ; 

From  the  valley  of  Scioto, 

And  the  Huron  sisters  three, 
To  the  foaming  Susquehanria, 

And  the  leaping  Genesee  ; 

Over  hill  and  plain  and  valley — 
Over  river,  lake  and  bay — 


PREFACE .  IX 

On  the  water — in  the  forest, 
Ruled  and  reigned  the  Seneca. 

But  sad  are  fair  Muskingum's  waters, 

Sadly,  blue  Mahoning  raves ; 
Tuscarawas'  plains  are  lonely, 

Lonely  are  Hockhocking's  waves. 

By  Kanawha  dwells  the  stranger, 

Cuyahoga  feels  the  chain, 
Stranger  ships  vex  Erie's  billows, 

Strangers  plow  Scioto's  plain. 

And  the  Iroquois  have  wasted, 

From  the  hill  and  plain  away ; 
On  the  waters — in  the  valley. 

Reigns  no  more  the  Seneca. 

Only  by  the  Cattaraugus, 

Or  by  Lake  Chautauque's  side, 
Or  among  the  scanty  woodlands. 

By  the  Allegheny's  tide — 

There,  in  spots,  like  sad  oases, 

Lone  amid  the  sandy  plains, 
There  the  Seneca,  still  wasting, 

Amid  desolation  reigns." 

Even  more  total  than  the  disappearance  of  the 
Senecas,  is  the  migration  of  the  remnants  of  the 
Ohio  Tribes,  who  succeeded  the  New  York  confed 
erates  upon  the  Muskingum,  the  Scioto  and  the 
San  dusky,  and  of  whom  not  even  a  "  sad  oasis "  is 
visible,  except  upon  the  distant  waters  of  the  Kanzas 
or  Nebraska.  This  volume  leaves  the  indomitable 


X  PREFACE. 

Wyandot,  the  sagacious  Delaware,  the  fierce  Shaw- 
nee,  and  the  cunning  Ottawa  as  yet  unconquered, 
although  slowly  and  sternly  retreating  before  the 
insolent  column  of  white  emigration.  Another  epoch 
witnessed  the  downfall  of  their  savage  pride,  before 
the  battalions  of  Wayne :  while  thenceforth,  wholly 
unchecked  by  Indian  resistance,  swelled  within  our 
borders  the  rising  tide  of  population,  civil  structure 
and  material  development.  Upon  these  scenes  the 
curtain  is  here  unlifted.  The  task,  delicate  and  re 
sponsible  in  manifold  aspects,  extends  immediately 
over  the  threshold  laid  by  these  pages.  He  will  be 
fortunate  to  whom  its  proper  execution  shall  be 
allotted  in  the  contingencies  of  the  future. 

To  the  writings  of  the  late  JAMES  II.  PERKINS,  and 
for  valuable  suggestions  personally  communicated  to 
the  author  by  Hon.  EBENEZER  LANE,  Hon.  ELIJAH  HAY- 
WARD,  Col.  JOHN  JOHNSTON,  THOMAS  MEANS,  Esq.,  and 
other  citizens  of  the  State,  an  expression  of  acknowl 
edgment  is  due,  and  is  gratefully  tendered. 

J.  W.  T. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I.  Pa«e 

THE  FATE  OF  THE  ANCIENT  ERIES,  -      13 

CHAPTER    II. 

THE  NATURE  AND  EXTENT  OF  IROQUOIS  CONQUEST  IN  TIIE  MISSIS 
SIPPI  VALLEY,  -  -22 

CHAPTER    III. 
INDIAN  OCCUPATION  OF  OHIO  IN  1750,  -  -29 

CHAPTER    IV. 
LAKE  ERIE  IN  THE  SEVENTEENTH  CENTURY,  -  -      41 

CHAPTER    V. 

THE  FRENCH  ESTABLISH  FORT  SANDUSKY — THE  ENGLISH  EXPLORE 
THE  OHIO  VALLEY,  -      55 

CHAPTER    VI. 
THE  ASCENDANCY  OF  FRANCE  UPON  THE  OHIO,         -  69 

CHAPTER    VII. 
A  PICTURE  or  OHIO  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  SINCE,    -  81 

CHAPTER    VIII. 
THE  SURRENDER  OF  THE  WESTERN  POSTS  TO  ENGLAND,      -  -    115 

CHAPTER    IX. 
CONSPIRACY  OF  PONTIAC,  -     127 

CHAPTER    X. 

THE  EXPEDITIONS  AGAINST  THE  WESTERN  TRIBES  UNDER  BRAD- 
STREET  AND  BOUQUET,  -    140 

CHAPTER    XI. 
OLD  MAPS  AND  INDIAN  TRAILS,  -    150 

CHAPTER    XII. 
SUBMISSION  AND  FATE  OF  PONTIAC,    -  -    160 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

ENGLISH  NEGOTIATIONS  WITH  THE  WESTERN  TRIBES — THE  CLAIM 
TO  KENTUCKY,  -  -    178 

CHAPTER    XIV. 
THE  MORAVIAN  MISSIONS  ON  THE  MUSKINGUM,         -  -    186 

CHAPTER    XV. 
THE  SOCIETY  OF  UNITED  BRETHREN,  -  -    202 

CHAPTER    XVI. 
DUNMORE'S  EXPEDITION  IN  1774 — THE  STORY  OF  LOGAN,    -  -    238 

(11) 


Xll  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    XVII.  paB8 

THE  RELATION  OP  THE  WESTERN  TRIBES  TO  THE  REVOLUTIONARY 
CONTEST,  -    201 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 
BORDER  WAR  or  THE  REVOLUTION,  -    275 

CHAPTER    XIX. 

THE  CONQUEST  or  ILLINOIS  BY  GEORGE  ROGERS  CLARK — INDIAN 
SIEGES  OF  FORT  LAURENS,     -  -    280 

CHAPTER    XX. 
THE  KENTUCKY  CAMPAIGNS  AGAINST  THE  SHAWANESE,  -    309 

CHAPTER    XXI. 
THE  MORAVIAN  MISSIONS  ON  THE  MUSKINGUM,  FROM  1772  TO  1782,    328 

CHAPTER    XXII. 
PENNSYLVANIA  CAMPAIGNS  AGAINST  THE  OHIO  INDIANS,     -  -    374 

CHAPTER    XXIIT.. 
SUBSEQUENT  MOVEMENTS  OF  THE  MORAVIAN  CONGREGATION,       -    380 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 

EMBASSIES  AND  NEGOTIATIONS  BETWEEN  THE  UNITED  STATES  AND 
THE  OHIO  TRIBES,        -  -    412 

Treaty  of  Fort  Stanwix  in  1784,  425 ;  Treaty  of  Fort  Mclntosh  in 
1785,  438 ;  Treaty  of  Fort  Finncy  in  1786,  442. 

CHAPTER    XXV. 

COLONIAL  CLAIMS  TO  WESTERN  LANDS,  AND  THEIR  CESSION  TO 
THE  UNITED  STATES,  -  -    405 

CHAPTER    XXVI. 

THE  SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  NORTH-WESTERN  TERRITORY— ORDI 
NANCE  OF  1787,  -    493 


APPENDIX. 

I.  Further  Particulars  of  the  Eries,  Neutrals,  and  Andastes,  -  517 

II.  French  Occupation  by  a  Process  Verbal,  -  520 

III.  The  Delaware  Villages  on  the  Scioto,      -  -  521 

IV.  The  Locality  of  the  Canesadooharie,       -  -  521 
V.  Contemporary  Accounts  of  the  Indian  Hostilities  in  1774,  -  522 

VI.  Further  Particulars  of  Connolly's  Scheme,  -  -  525 

VII.  Incidents  in  the  Life  of  James  Dean,  -  -  527 

VIII.  Netawatwes,  and  other  Delaware  Chiefs,  -  530 

IX.  Lewis  Wetzell,  the  Borderer,        -  -  532 

X.  Surrender  of  the  Moravian  Tract  to  the  United  States,  -  539 

XI.  Bockengahelas,  the  War-Chief  of  the  Delawares,  -  545 

XII.  Subsequent  Indian  Treaties,         -  -  550 

XIII.  Ordinance  of  1787,             -  -  55 1 


HISTORY  OF  OHIO. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  FATE  OF  THE  ANCIENT  ERIES. 

A  PERIOD  of  two  centuries  prior  to  1850,  comprises  our 
knowledge  of  that  region  of  the  American  Continent,  which 
is  bounded  by  Lake  Erie  on  the  north,  and  the  Ohio  River 
on  the  south  ;  and  even  within  that  brief  segment  of  time, 
many  statements  rest  upon  vague  tradition. 

An  attempt  to  ascend  beyond  1650,  would  involve  a  prof 
itless  discussion  of  the  probable  origin  of  the  Indian  race. 
We  shall  decline  the  inquiry,  whether  the  lost  tribes  of  Israel 
yet  linger  in  the  aborigines  of  the  American  woods ;  or 
whether  the  latter  are  an  off-shoot  from  the  Tartars  of  Asia ; 
or,  abandoning  the  unitary  theory  of  the  race,  whether  the 
Creator  has  not  given  to  the  continent  of  America  its  peculiar 
inhabitants.  These  are  ethnological  problems,  which  are 
aside  from  the  purpose  of  the  present  volume. 

The  Ohio  of  1650  we  assume  to  have  been  a  forest  wilder 
ness,  principally  occupied  by  a  tribe  of  Indians,  called  the 
ERIES,  whose  villages  skirted  the  shores  of  the  lake  so  desig 
nated. 

There  is  some  conflict  of  opinion,  whether  the  Eries  were 
not  confined  to  the  eastern  shore  of  the  lake,  but  the  prepon 
derance  of  authority  is  in  favor  of  their  occupation  of  the 

(13) 


14  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

southern  shore.  Dewitt  Clinton,  in  his  celebrated  Historical 
Discourse  upon  the  Indians  of  North  America,  speaks  of 
"  the  nation  of  the  Eries  or  Erigas  on  the  south  side  of  Lalce 
Erie"  Louis  Hennepin,  a  Franciscan  friar,  whose  travels 
in.lfew  France  -were 'published  in  1698,  mentions  the  return 
of  the  Iroquois  to  their  villages,  bringing  Erie  Indians  as 
.capsiyes  ."frcm  bet/one?  the  lake"  Brant,  the  distinguished 
Mohawk  chief,  in  a  letter  to  Timothy  Pickering,  dated  Nov. 
20,  1794,  alludes  to  the  Eries  as  "  a  powerful  nation  form 
erly  living  southward  of  Buffalo  creek"  Chaiievoix,  the 
historian  of  New  France,  may  be  cited  as  an  authority  that 
the  nation  of  Eries  lived  where  the  State  of  Ohio  now  is. 
The  recent  discovery  of  ancient  earthworks,  and  two  inscrip 
tions  in  the  pictographic  character,  on  Cunningham's  Island 
(now  Kelley's  Island,  a  township  of  Erie  county,  Ohio),  are 
supposed  by  Schoolcraft  to  indicate  that  the  archipelago  of 
islands  in  the  western  part  of  Lake  Erie,  was  one  of  the 
strongholds  of  the  tribe.1 

1)  Kelley's  Island  has  an  area  of  about  3000  acres,  and  is  situated  ten 
miles  north  of  the  mouth  of  Sandusky  Bay.  It  consists  of  a  basis  of  hor 
izontal  limestone,  of  the  species  common  to  Lake  Erie,  rising  about  fifteen 
feet  above  the  water  level.  The  surface,  where  it  is  exposed,  discloses  the 
polish  created  by  former  diluvial  or  glacial  action  —  a  trait  which  is  so 
remarkable  on  the  rocks  of  the  adjoining  shores  of  Sandusky.  This  is  cov 
ered  with  a  fertile  limestone  soil,  and  at  the  earliest  period,  all,  except  the 
old  fields,  bore  a  heavy  growth  of  hard  wood  timber. 

On  the  south  shore  of  the  Island  are  two  crescent-shaped  embankments, 
apparently  intended  to  inclose  and  defend  villages ;  (a  third  circumvallation 
is  situated  inland.)  One  has  a  front  of  400  feet,  and  the  other  of  614  feet, 
on  the  rocky  and  precipitous  margin  of  the  lake.  Within  these  enclosures 
have  been  found  stone  axes,  pipes,  perforators,  bone  fish  hooks,  net  sinkers, 
and  fragments  of  human  bones.  In  the  vicinity  is  a  rock,  32  by  21  feet  on 
the  surface,  in  which  a  great  variety  of  figures  and  devices  arc  deeply  sunk. 
The  summit  of  the  rock  is  elevated  eleven  feet  above  the  water.  "It  is  by 
far  the  most  extensive  and  well-sculptured,  and  well  preserved  inscription 
of  the  antiquarian  period,  ever  found  in  America.  Being  on  an  islet  sepa- 


FATE   OP   THE   ANCIENT   ERIES.  15 

It  is  generally  admitted  that  the  Eries  were  a  member  of 
the  Iroquois  family,  as  distinguished  from  the  Algonquin 
tribes.  In  1050,  the  Iroquois,  as  the  confederated  Mohawks, 
Oneidas,  Onondagas,  Cayugas  and  Senecas  were  called  by 
the  French,  occupied  what  is  now  New  York  and  Northern 
Pennsylvania ;  the  Hurons  or  Wyandots,  and  a  kindred 
Neutral  Nation,  held  the  peninsula  between  Lakes  Huron, 
Erie  and  Ontario  ;  the  Eries  were  seated  on  the  southern 
shore  of  Lake  Erie ;  while  the  Andastes  possessed  the  val 
leys  of  the  Alleghany  or  Upper  Ohio  River, —  but  all  were 
generically  Iroquois,  speaking  dialects  of  the  same  lingual 
stock.  The  Western  tribes  were  singly  more  powerful  than 
either  of  the  New  York  tribes,  except  perhaps  the  Senecas ; 
but  the  Five  Nations  (afterwards  increased  to  Six  by  the 
accession  of  the  Tuscaroras)  had  formed  their  celebrated 
alliance  at  least  as  early  as  1605,  and,  by  the  strength  of 
union,  become  the  terror  of  their  less  sagacious  neighbors. 

Before  proceeding  with  our  immediate  topic — the  fortunes 
of  the  Eries,  Hurons  and  Andastes — we  will  briefly  classify 
the  other  Indian  tribes,  as  they  were  found  by  the  first  dis 
coverers  of  the  continent. 

rated  from  the  shore,  with  precipitous  sides,  it  has  remained  undiscovered 
till  within  late  years.  It  is  in  the  pictographic  character  of  the  natives. 
Its  leading  symbols  are  readily  interpreted.  The  human  figures,  the  pipes, 
smoking  groups,  the  presents  and  other  figures,  denote  tribes,  negotiations, 
crimes,  turmoils,  which  tell  a  story  of  thrilling  interest,  in  which  the  white 
man  or  European  plays  a  part.  There  are  many  subordinate  figures  which 
require  study.  There  are  some  in  which  the  effects  of  atmospheric  and  lake 
action  have  destroyed  the  connection,  and  others  of  an  anomalous  charac 
ter.  The  whole  inscription  is  manifestly  connected  with  the  occupation  of 
the  basin  of  the  lake  by  the  Eries  —  of  the  coming  of  the  Wyandots  —  of 
the  final  triumph  of  the  Iroquois,  and  the  flight  of  the  people  who  have 
left  their  name  to  the  lake." — History,  Condition  and  Prospects  of  the  Indi 
an  tribes  of  the  United  States :  l>y  H.  JR.  Schoolcraft,  LL.D.  Illustrated  by  S. 
Eastman,  U.  S.  A.  Part  second,  86-7. 


16  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

Except  the  Iroquois,  antiquarians  describe  all  other  north 
ern  tribes  as  Algonquin,  which  term,  though  generic,  was 
the  special  designation  of  a  nation  living  on  the  St.  Lawrence 
River,  where  also  was  the  seat  of  the  Utawawas  or  Ottowas. 
The  leading  tribe  of  the  Algonquins,  however,  were  the 
Lenno  Lenapees  or  Delawares,  who  were  found  by  the  first 
colonists  about  the  waters  of  the  Delaware  and  its  tributary 
streams,  within  the  present  limits  of  New  Jersey  and  Eastern 
Pennsylvania.  Their  traditions  declare  them  to  be  the  parent 
stem  whence  other  Algonquin  tribes  have  sprung  —  a  claim 
recognized  by  the  latter,  who  accord  to  the  ancient  Lenapees 
the  title  of  Grandfather.  The  Lenapees,  on  their  part,  call 
the  other  Algonquin  tribes  Children,  Grandchildren,  Neph 
ews,  or  Younger  Brothers  ;  but  they  confess  the  superiority 
of  the  Wyandots  and  the  Five  Nations  by  yielding  them  the 
title  of  Uncles,  while  they,  in  return,  call  the  Lenapees 
Nephews,  or  more  frequently  Cousins.2 

"  Except  the  detached  nation  of  the  Tuscaroras,  and  a  few 
smaller  tribes  adhering  to  them,"  to  quote  from  the  accom 
plished  historian  of  Pontiac's  Conspiracy,  "the  Iroquois 
family  were  confined  to  the  region  south  of  the  Lakes  Eric 
and  Ontario,  and  the  peninsula  east  of  Lake  Huron.  They 
formed,  as  it  were,  an  island  in  the  vast  expanse  of  Algon 
quin  population,  extending  from  Hudson's  Ba^on  the  north 
to  the  Carolinas  on  the  south ;  from  the  Atlantic  on  the  east 
to  the  Mississippi  and  Lake  Winnipeg  on  the  west.  They 
were  Algonquins  who  greeted  Jacques  Cartier  as  his  ships 
ascended  the  St.  Lawrence.  The  first  British  colonists  found 
savages  of  the  same  race  hunting  and  fishing  along  the  coasts 
and  inlets  of  Virginia  ;  and  it  was  the  daughter  of  an  Algon 
quin  chief  who  interceded  with  her  father  for  the  life  of  the 

2)  Pavkman's  Conspiracy  of  Pontiae,  26. 


FATE   OF  THE  ANCIENT  EEIES.  17 

adventurous  Englishman.  They  were  Algonquins  who,  under 
Sassacus  the  Pequot  and  Phillip  of  Mount  Hope,  waged 
deadly  war  against  the  Puritans  of  New  England  ;  who  dwelt 
at  Penacook  under  the  rule  of  the  great  magician  Passacona- 
way,  and  trembled  before  the  evil  spirits  of  the  Crystal  Hills  ; 
and  who  sang  Aves  and  told  their  beads  in  the  forest  chapel 
of  Father  Basics  by  the  banks  of  the  Kennebec.  They  were 
Algonquins  who,  under  the  great  tree  at  Kensington,  made 
the  covenant  of  peace  with  William  Penn ;  and  when  the 
French  Jesuits  and  fur  traders  explored  the  Wabash  and  the 
Ohio,  they  found  their  valleys  tenanted  by  the  same  far- 
extended  race.  At  the  present  day,  the  traveler,  perchance, 
may  find  them  pitching  their  bark  lodges  along  the  beach  at 
Mackinaw,  spearing  fish  among  the  boiling  rapids  of  St. 
Marys,  or  skimming  the  waves  of  Lake  Superior  in  their 
birch  canoes." 

Bancroft,  in  a  map  of  aboriginal  America,  concurs  with 
Parkman,  but  limits  the  Algonquins  to  the  thirty-sixth  degree 
of  north  latitude,  and  gives  four-fifths  of  the  country  south 
of  that  parallel  to  the  Mobilian  race.  The  other  southern 
races  were  the  Cherokees,  who  were  mountaineers,  and  oc 
cupied  the  upper  valley  of  the  Tennessee  River,  as  far  west 
as  Muscle  Shoals,  and  the  highlands  of  Carolina,  Georgia  and 
Alabama,  the  Switzerland  of  the  south ;  the  Uchees  and 
Catawbas,  who  occupied  small  areas  adjacent  to  the  Chero 
kee  country  on  the  south  and  east ;  and  the  Natchez,  residing 
in  scarcely  more  than  four  or  five  villages,  of  which  the 
largest  was  near  the  site  of  the  city  thus  called.  Bancroft 
has  a  general  classification  of  Dacotah  for  the  numerous  tribes 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  within  the  valleys  of  the  Arkan 
sas  and  the  Missouri.  These  distinctions  have  little  other 
foundation  than  language,  of  which  eight  radically  different 


18  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

varieties  are  said  to  have  been  spoken  east  of  the  Missis 
sippi.3 

To  return  to  the  kindred  but  hostile  Iroquois  tribes. 
About  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century,  the  Five  Na 
tions  of  New  York,  grown  arrogant  by  fifty  years  of  con 
federation,  invaded  the  territory  of  the  Hurons  or  Wyandots. 
The  ancient  seats  of  this  nation  were  on  the  eastern  shores 
of  the  lake  which  now  bears  their  name,  and  thither  the 
enemy  penetrated,  undisturbed  by  the  Neutral  Nation,  who 
occupied  the  eastern  portion  of  the  peninsula  adjacent  to 
Lake  Ontario,  and  probably  extended  beyond  the  Niagara 
River.4  The  Hurons  were  driven  with  great  slaughter  to  the 
Manitouline  islands  of  the  lake.  They  next  occupied  the 
island  of  Michillimacinac,  thinking  its  isolated  position  and 
precipitous  cliffs  would  prove  a  shelter.  But  the  enraged 
enemy  drove  them  thence.  They  fled  into  the  territories  of 
the  Odjibwas,  in  Lake  Superior.  But  even  there  their  ene 
mies  attempted  to  follow  them,  until  they  were  defeated  by 
the  Chippewas,  in  a  battle  fought  at  the  foot  of  the  south 
cape  of  its  outlet ;  at  a  prominent  elevation,  which,  in  allu 
sion  to  this  incident,  is  still  called  Point  Iroquois. 

The  extinction  of  the  Neutral  Nation  soon  followed,  and 
then  the  victorious  Iroquois  turned  against  their  Erie  breth 
ren.  In  the  year  1655,  using  their  canoes  as  scaling  ladders, 
they  stormed  the  Erie  strongholds,  leaped  down  like  tigers 
among  the  defenders,  and  butchered  them  without  mercy. 
The  greater  part  of  the  nation  was  involved  in  the  massacre, 
and  the  remnant  was  incorporated  with  the  conquerors,  or 
with  other  tribes,  to  which  they  fled  for  refuge.4 

3)  History  of  the  United  States,  vol.  iii.,  p.  235. 

4)  We  accede  to  what  seems  the  weight  of  tradition,  that  the  Neutral 
Nation  were  a  distinct  tribe,  and  so  called  from  their  neutrality  in  the  con 
test  between  the  Iroquois  and  the  Hurons ;  but  Schoolcraft,  in  speaking  of 


FATE   OF   THE   ANCIENT   ERIES.  19 

The  Andastes  shared  the  same  fate,  but  their  resistance 
postponed  their  dispersion  until  1672,  when  their  ruin  was 
also  accomplished.  It  seems  likely  that  a  tribe  called  by  the 
Iroquois,  Satanas,  by  the  French,  Chaouanons,  and  whom 
we  suppose  to  have  been  the  Shawanese,  were,  about  this 
period,  driven  from  the  valley  of  the  Ohio  to  the  vicinity  of 
the  Mexican  Gulf.  Thus,  at  the  commencement  of  the  eigh 
teenth  century,  the  territory  now  Ohio  was  derelict,  except 
as  the  indomitable  confederates  of  the  North  made  it  a  trail 
for  further  hostilities,  or  roamed  its  hunting  grounds. 

Attached  to  "  Baron  La  Hontan's  Voyages  and  Adven 
tures  in  North  America  between  1683  and  1694,"  is  a  map, 
upon  which,  near  the  source  and  mouth  of  the  Sandusky 
River,  are  indices  of  "  savage  villages  destroyed  by  ye  Iro- 
quesc."  The  latter  would  be  the  site  of  Sandusky,  or  the 
vicinity  near  the  outlet  of  the  Bay  and  River.  Parallel  with 
the  southern  shore  of  "  Errie  or  Conti  Lake,"  and  apparently 
at  an  average  distance  of  thirty  miles,  is  a  line  drawn  con 
necting  the  Mississippi  with.  Western  New  York,  which, 
according  to  the  map,  "  represents  ye  way  that  ye  Illinese 
march  through  a  vast  tract  of  ground  to  make  War  against 
ye  Iroquese :  The  same  being  ye  Passage  of  ye  Iroquese  in 
their  incursions  upon  ye  other  Savages,  as  far  as  the  river 
Missisipi."  Upon  the  Maumee  River  a  tribe  of  "  Errie- 
ronons  "  are  put  down,  and  in  the  country  south  of  the  source 
of  the  Sandusky  river,  "Andastognerons "  are  mentioned, 
probably  remnants  of  the  Eries  and  Andastes.5 

the  Erics,  remarks,  that  "  there  can  be  no  question,  from  the  early  accounts 
of  the  French  missionaries,  that  they  were  at  the  head  of  that  singular  con 
federation  of  tribes  called  the  Neutral  Nation,  which  extended  from  the 
extreme  west  to  the  extreme  eastern  shores  of  Lake  Erie,  including  the 
Niagara." 
5)  The  outline  of  Lake  Erie  on  La  Ilontan's  map  is  curious  enough.  It 


20  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

This  incidental  reference  to  detachments  of  the  Erics  and 
Andastes,  which  we  presume  that  La  Hontan  here  makes, 
confirms  the  belief  that  they  were  not  exterminated  by  the 
war  of  1655.  Like  the  conquered  Hurons,  they  were  fugi 
tives  from  their  villages  on  the  borders  of  the  lake,  but  it  is 
quite  likely  that  they  became  the  allies  of  the  formidable 
Miamis  or  Twahtwahs,  whose  residence  was  on  the  Miami  of 
the  Lakes  and  the  Miami  of  the  Ohio.  According  to  the 
French  missionary  authors,  cited  by  Schoolcraft,  the  Iro- 
quois  fell  on  the  Miamis  and  Chictaghicks  or  Illinois  (en 
raged,  we  may  suppose,  at  their  friendly  reception  of  the 
vanquished  Indians)  who  were  encamped  together  on  the 
banks  of  the  Maumee  River  in  the  year  1680,  being  twenty- 
five  years  after  the  final  defeat  of  the  Eries.  In  this  attack 
they  killed  thirty  and  took  three  hundred  prisoners.  But 
the  Illinois  and  Miamis  rallied,  and  by  a  dexterous  move 
ment,  got  ahead  of  the  retreating  Iroquois,  waylaid  their 
path,  and  recovered  their  prisoners,  killing  many  of  the 
enemy. 

The  future  fate  of  the  Eries  is  involved  in  obscurity. 
General  Lewis  Cass  has  expressed  the  opinion  that  the 
Kickapoos  and  Shawanese  are  remnants  of  the  Erics,  and 
adds  that  the  Canadians,  to  this  day,  term  the  Shawanese  the 
Nation  of  the  Cat  or  Raccoon,  which  is  well  known  to  be  the 

is  made  broader  at  the  eastern  extremity  than  elsewhere,  the  shore  running 
due  south  from  the  mouth  of  Niagara  River  to  the  southeast  corner,  where 
is  the  mouth  of  a  ':  Conde  River  " — as  if  the  line  from  Buffalo  to  Erie  was 
due  south.  Thence  at  right  angles,  but  slightly  indented  now  and  then,  we 
have  the  southern  shore,  Avithout  any  streams  until  the  Sandusky  and  Mau 
mee  Rivers  are  noted  with  a  fair  degree  of  accuracy,  except  that  Sandusky 
Bay  is  not  put  down  otherwise  than  as  the  mouth  of  the  river.  There  is  a 
liberal  allowance  of  islands  opposite,  and  the  river  itself  is  represented  as 
rising  at  a  distance  of  100  miles  (according  to  the  scale  given)  in  a  circular 
lake  of  at  least  15  miles  in  diameter. 


FATE   OF   THE   ANCIENT   ERIES.  21 

origin  of  the  word  Erie.  On  the  other  hand,  some  traditions 
of  the  Catawbas  of  the  South,  render  it  not  improbable  that 
they  are  the  survivors  of  the  vanquished  Erics.6 

6)  For  further  details  of  these  traditionary  tribes,  sec  Appendix  Xo.  I. 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE   NATURE  AND   EXTENT   OF   IROQUOIS   CONQUEST   IX  THE 
MISSISSIPPI  VALLEY. 

THE  extent  of  Iroquois  conquest  in  the  seventeenth  cen 
tury  was  the  subject  of  much  controversy  between  the  French 
and  English,  while  Canada  was  under  the  dominion  of  the 
former.  The  French  title,  by  discovery  of  the  Lakes  and 
the  Mississippi,  was  sought  to  be  overcome  by  a  grant  of 
sovereignty  from  the  Five  Nations.  This  sovereignty  was 
claimed  to  result  from  a  conquest  of  the  entire  country  east 
of  the  Mississippi.  Colden  in  1727,  and  Clinton  in  1811, 
are  the  prominent  champions  of  the  Iroquois  pretension — the 
former  advancing  it  as  a  matter  of  vital  importance  to  the 
English  colonies,  and  the  latter  reiterating  it  with  the  interest 
of  an  antiquarian  and  the  pride  of  a  New  Yorker.  It  is 
interesting  to  observe  how  closely  recent  writers  have  pur 
sued  the  authority,  almost  the  text,  of  Gov.  Clinton.  The 
following  extract  discloses  the  partisan  tenor  of  his  discourse : 

"The  conquests  of  the  Iroquois,  previous  to  the  discovery 
of  America,  are  only  known  to  us  through  the  imperfect 
channels  of  tradition  ;  but  it  is  well  authenticated,  that  since 
that  memorable  era,  they  exterminated  the  nation  of  the 
Eries  or  Erigas,  on  the  south  side  of  Lake  Erie,  which  has 
given  a  name  to  that  Lake.  They  nearly  extirpated  the 
Andastes  and  the  Chouanons ;  they  conquered  the  Hurons, 
and  drove  them  and  their  allies,  the  Ottawas,  among  the 
Sioux,  on  the  head  waters  of  the  Mississippi.  They  also 

(22) 


DEWITT  CLINTON'S  DISCOURSE.  23 

subdued  the  Illinois,  the  Miamis,  the  Algonkins,  the  Dela- 
wares,  the  Shawanese,  and  several  tribes  of  the  Abenagins. 

*  *  *  The  Illinois  fled  to  the  westward,  after  being 
attacked  by  the  Confederates,  and  did  not  return  until  a 
general  peace  ;  and  were  permitted  in  1760,  by  the  Confed 
erates,  to  settle  in  the  country  between  the  Wabash  and  the 
Scioto  rivers.  The  banks  of  Lake  Superior  were  lined  with 
Algonkins,  who  sought  an  asylum  from  the  Five  Nations. 
They  also  harassed  all  the  Northern  Indians,  as  far  as 
Hudson's  Bay,  and  they  even  attacked  the  nations  on  the 
Missouri.  When  La  Salle  was  among  the  Natchez,  in  1683, 
he  saw  a  party  of  that  people  who  had  been  on  an  expedition 
against  the  Iroquois.  Smith,  the  founder  of  Virginia,  in  an 
expedition  up  the  Bay  of  Chesapeake,  in  1608,  met  a  war 
party  of  the  Confederates  then  going  to  attack  their  enemies. 
They  were  at  peace  with  the  Cowetas  or  Creeks,  but  they 
warred  against  the  Catawbas,  the  Cherokees,  and  almost  all 
the  Southern  Indians.  The  two  former  sent  deputies  to 
Albany,  where  they  effected  a  peace  through  the  mediation 
of  the  English.  In  a  word,  the  Confederates  were,  with  a 
few  exceptions,  the  conquerors  and  masters  of  all  the  Indian 
nations  east  of  the  Mississippi.  * 

"  In  consequence  of  their  sovereignty  over  the  other  na 
tions,  the  Confederates  exercised  a  proprietary  right  in  their 
lands.  In  1742  they  granted  to  the  province  of  Pennsyl 
vania  certain  lands  on  the  west  side  of  the  Susquehannah, 
having  formerly  done  so  on  the  east  side.  In  1744  they 
released  to  Maryland  and  Virginia  certain  lands  claimed  by 
them  in  those  colonies ;  and  they  declared  at  this  treaty,  that 
they  had  conquered  the  several  nations  living  on  the  Sus 
quehannah  and  Potomac  rivers,  and  on  the  back  of  the 
Great  Mountains  in  Virginia.  In  1754,  a  number  of  the 


24  HISTORY   OF  OHIO. 

inhabitants  of  Connecticut  purchased  of  them  a  large  tract 
of  land  west  of  the  Delaware  River,  and  from  thence 
spreading  over  the  east  and  west  branches  of  the  Susque- 
hannah  River.  In  1768  they  gave  a  deed  to  William  Trent 
and  others,  for  land  between  the  Ohio  and  Monongahela. 
They  claimed  and  sold  the  land  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Kentucky  River." 

This  is  a  skillful  statement  of  the  grounds  for  the  Iroquois 
claim,  and  was  doubtless  compiled  by  the  learned  writer  from 
the  archives  of  the  colonies,  and  whatever  of  the  diplomatic 
correspondence  between  the  English  and  French  governments 
had  then  transpired.  The  provincial  authorities  took  early 
measures  to  obtain  a  transfer  of  whatever  rights  the  New 
York  confederates  had  obtained.  As  early  as  1684,  Lord 
Howard,  governor  of  Virginia,  held  a  treaty  with  the  Six 
Nations,  at  Albany,  when,  at  the  request  of  Colonel  Dungan, 
the  Governor  of  New  York,  they  placed  themselves  under 
the  protection  of  the  mother  country.  This  was  again  done 
in  17C1;  and,  upon  the  14th  of  September,  1726,  a  formal 
deed  was  drawn  up,  and  signed  by  the  chiefs,  by  which  their 
lands  were  conveyed  to  England,  in  trust,  "  to  be  protected 
and  defended  by  his  majesty  to  and  for  the  use  of  the  grantors 
and  their  heirs."  1 

Without  repeating  the  French  argument  in  the  premises, 
it  may  be  mentioned  as  an  interesting  coincidence,  that  Gen. 
William  H.  Harrison,  as  recently  as  1837,  responded  with 
intelligent  zeal  to  the  exaggerated  narrative  of  Clinton,  and 
vindicated  the  warlike  qualities  of  the  Western  Indians,  by 
a  denial  that  the  Miami  Confederacy  of  Illinois  and  Ohio 
could  have  been  conquered  by  the  Iroquois.  He  cites  nu- 

1)  Writings  of  James  H.  Perkins,  Vol.  II,  p.  186.  Pownall's  Administra 
tion  of  the  Colonies,  4th  Ed.,  London,  1768,  p.  269. 


EXTENT   OF  IROQUOIS   CONQUEST.  25 

merous  evidences  that  in  1700  the  Miami  nation  was  very 
numerous ;  and,  even  within  the  memory  of  those  living  in 
1837,  that  the  Illinois  tribes  could  bring  into  the  field  four 
thousand  warriors.  "In  the  year  1734,"  he  adds,  "M.  de 
Vincennes,  a  captain  in  the  French  army,  found  them  in 
possession  of  the  whole  of  the  Wabash,  and  their  principal 
town  occupying  the  place  of  Fort  Wayne,  which  was  actually 
the  key  of  the  country  below.  This  officer  was  the  first 
Frenchman  who  followed  the  route  of  the  Miami  of  the  Lake 
and  the  Wabash,  in  passing  from  Canada  to  their  western 
settlements.  Long  before  this  period,  the  French  must  have 
known  of  the  shorter  and  easier  route,  and  no  reason  can  be 
assigned  for  their  never  having  used  it,  but  from  its  being 
formerly  the  seat  of  war  on  some  portion  of  it  between  the 
Wyandots  and  Iroquois.  De  Vincennes  found  the  Miamis 
in  the  possession  of  the  entire  Wabash." 

Briefly,  Gen.  Harrison  admits  the  subjection  of  the  Dela- 
wares,  in  Pennsylvania,  the  dispersion  of  the  Hurons,  Eries 
and  Andastes,  and  that  the  Iroquois  advanced  as  far  west  as 
Sandusky ;  but  denies  that  there  is  any  tradition  among  the 
Miamis  of  their  ever  having  been  conquered  by  the  Iro 
quois.  He  remarks  that,  at  the  treaty  of  Greenville,  there 
was  no  allusion  to  a  claim,  on  the  part  of  the  Five  Nations, 
to  any  right  of  property  in  the  soil,  or  jurisdiction  over  the 
territory  of  the  Miamis.2 

Upon  a  careful  review  of  all  the  evidence,  we  think  the 
hypothesis  of  Gen.  Harrison  deserves  to  be  adopted  in  pref 
erence  to  that  of  Golden  and  Clinton ;  and  for  the  following 
reasons,  in  addition  to  those  already  adduced : 

1.  The  distance  from  their  homes  to  which  war  parties 

2)  Harrison's  Discourse  "before  the  Ohio  Historical  Society.  See  Trans 
actions,  Vol.  I.  p.  257. 

2 


26  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

were  accustomed  to  march,  has  little  significance  when  we 
consider  that,  within  the  immense  area  eastward  of  the  Mis 
sissippi,  the  entire  Indian  population,  two  hundred  years  ago, 
is  estimated  by  Bancroft  at  only  one  hundred  and  eighty 
thousand ;  and  that  skill  in  eluding  a  foe,  until  the  moment 
chosen  for  a  blow,  has  always  been  a  favorite  portion  of  In 
dian  tactics. 

2.  So  far  as  the  Lake  region  is  concerned,  the  map  of  La 
Hontan,  above  described,  indicates  that  the  "Illinese"  were 
as  ready  to  make  inroads  upon  the  "Irroquese"  as  the  latter 
were  to  make  westward  incursions. 

3.  We  have  already  shown  that  the  Iroquois  were  repulsed 
by  the  Chippewas  from  the  pursuit  of  the  Hurons  (a  cir 
cumstance  unnoticed  by  Clinton) ;  and  Schoolcraft's  narra 
tive  of  the  successful  reprisal,  in  1680,  by  the  Illinois  and 
Miamis,  on  the  banks  of  the  Maumee  River,  should  not  be 
forgotten. 

4.  In  this  connection,  we  should  not  overlook  the  relations 
of  the  New  York  Indians,  and  their  Canadian  neighbors, 
the  French.     Prior  to  1663,  their  intercourse  had  been  very 
precarious,  but  in  that  year  a  deputation  from  the  Iroquois 
cantons,  who  proposed  an  errand  of  pacification  to  Montreal, 
were  surprised,  and  most  of  them  killed  by  a  party  of  Algon- 
quins,  allies  of  the  French.     Of  course,  all  prospects  of 
peace  vanished,  and  a  furious  war  raged  along  the  Canadian 
frontier.     At  the  first  outbreak,  these  hostilities  were  most 
disastrous  to  the  French ;  but  the  Canadian  Governors,  at  the 
head  of  disciplined   troops,  more    than  retaliated  on  their 
savage  enemies  during  the  thirty  years'  war  which  followed. 
Courcelles,  Tracy,  De  la  Barre,  and  De  Nonville,  invaded 
by  turns,  with  various  success,  the  country  of  the  Confede 
rates;  and  at  length,  in  the  year  1696,  the  veteran  Count 


EXTENT   OF   IROQTTOIS    CONQUEST.  27 

Frontenac,  who  was  then,  for  the  second  time,  Governor  of 
Canada,  marched  upon  their  cantons  with  all  the  force  of  the 
province.3  He  burned  their  deserted  villages,  and  devasta 
ted  their  maize  fields.  Even  the  fierce  courage  of  the  Iro 
quois  began  to  quail  before  these  repeated  attacks,  while  the 
gradual  growth  of  the  colony,  and  the  arrival  of  troops  from 
France,  at  length  convinced  them  that  they  could  not  destroy 
Canada.  In  1700  a  pacification  was  effected,  and  the  nume 
rous  prisoners  on  both  sides  were  allowed  to  return.  In  the 
year  1726,  the  French  succeeded  in  erecting  a  permanent 
military  post  at  the  important  pass  of  Niagara,  within  the 
limits  of  the  Confederacy.  On  the  14th  of  September,  in 
the  same  year,  the  Six  Nations  made  the  well  known  cession 
of  their  lands  to  England,  in  "trust  to  be  protected  and 
defended  by  his  Majesty,  to  and  for  the  use  of  the  grantors 
and  their  heirs."  The  fact  that  the  haughty  Iroquois  sub 
mitted  to  such  a  measure,  is  a  proof  that  their  power  was  on 
the  wane,  and  that  they  had  ceased  to  occupy  the  arrogant 
position  of  conquering  tribes. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  conquest  of  the  Eries  was 
in  1655.  only  eight  years  before  the  commencement  of  the 
war  between  the  French  and  the  Iroquois ;  and  the  resistance 
of  the  Andastes  was  prolonged  until  1672,  seven  years  after 
the  massacre  of  the  Indian  deputation  to  Montreal.  Our 
inference  is,  that  before  the  removal  of  the  Eries  and  Andas 
tes  from  the  path  to  the  Mississippi,  Iroquois  excursions 
against  the  Miamis  and  Illinois  were  of  course  impracticable ; 
and  afterwards,  all  the  energies  of  the  New  York  tribes 
were  summoned  to  resist  the  French,  by  whom  their  country 
was  frequently  invaded  and  their  villages  destroyed.  It  is 
evident,  therefore,  that  they  could  have  no  leisure  or  force 

3)  Parkm Jin's  Pontiae,  61,  63. 


28  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

for  western  expeditions  while  these  desperate  hostilities  were 
in  progress  at  home;  and  after  the  peace  of  1700,  and  es 
pecially  after  the  French  occupation  of  Niagara,  in  17 20, 
the  denizens  of  Ohio  had  no  ground  to  apprehend  any  dis 
turbance  in  their  possession. 

Upon  the  whole,  we  are  willing  to  compromise  between 
the  positions  respectively  assumed  by  Clinton  and  Harrison. 
We  admit  that  the  Indians  of  Pennsylvania  and  New  England 
were  tributary  to  the  Five  Nations,  made  so  by  conquest, 
and  that  the  country  on  both  sides  of  Lake  Erie — the  seats 
of  the  Hurons  and  Neutrals  in  Canada,  and  the  Eries,  An- 
dastes  and  Shawanese  in  Ohio — were  swept  of  their  aborigi 
nal  occupants  by  their  merciless  enemies,  but  beyond  the 
Potomac,  the  Ohio  and  the  Miamis,  it  seems  to  us  that  there 
was  a  drawn  battle,  constantly  renewing,  and  variable  in 
results.  It  may  be  that  the  Miamis  and  their  Illinois  con 
federates  were  more  frequently  repulsed,  but  they  cannot  be 
said  to  have  been  subjugated,  nor  even  conquered.  Very 
likely,  on  the  conclusion  of  peace  with  Western  and  Southern 
tribes,  there  may  have  been  stipulations  in  the  nature  of  quit 
claim,  but  these  did  not  necessarily  imply  the  previous  rela 
tion  of  victor  and  vanquished,  no  more  than  a  bill  to  quiet 
title  recognizes  that  alleged  by  a  claimant  to  be  paramount. 

After  1663,  however,  when  the  long  war  with  the  Cana 
dian  colonists  broke  out,  and  until  the  peace  of  1700,  the 
dominion  of  the  Five  Nations  over  the  territory  of  Ohio  was 
nominal,  never  enforced  to  the  exclusion  of  other  Indian 
tribes,  who  hastened  to  occupy  the  beautiful  and  vacant 
realm. 


CHAPTER   III. 

INDIAN  OCCUPATION  OF  OHIO  IN  1750. 

Tins  chapter  will  be  devoted  to  a  brief  sketch  of  the 
Indian  tribes,  who,  during  the  interval  between  the  inroads 
of  the  Iroquois  (vacating  forcibly  the  region  between  the 
Ohio  and  Lake  Erie)  and  the  earliest  settlement  by  Euro 
peans  in  1750,  gradually  occupied  the  country.  The  reader 
may  expect  some  unavoidable  repetition,  especially  in  a 
sketch  of  the  Wyandots,  for  the  materials  of  which  we  are 
greatly  indebted  to  the  ethnological  and  historical  labors  of 
Albert  Gallatin.1 

Four  tribes  were  prominent  within  the  limits  of  Ohio  a 
century  since — the  Wyandots,  Delawares,  Shawanese  and 
Ottawas. 

1.  THE  WYANDOTS  OR  HURONS. — When  Champlain  ar 
rived  in  Canada,  the  Wyandots  were  the  head  and  principal 
support  of  the  Algonquin  tribes  against  the  Five  Nations. 
In  our  first  chapter  we  have  given  their  geographical  position, 
and  their  relations  with  the  Neutral  Nation,  or  Attiouanda- 
rons,  north,  and  the  Eries  and  Andastes  or  Guandastogues 
(Guyandots,)  south  of  Lake  Erie.  The  extent  of  their 
influence  and  of  the  consideration  in  which  they  were  held, 
may  be  found  in  the  fact,  that  even  the  Delawares,  who 
claimed  to  be  the  elder  branch  of  the  Lenape  Nation,  and 

1)  Gallatin's  Synopsis  of  the  Indian  Tribes  within  the  United  States,  east 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  in  the  British  and  Russian  Possessions  of 
North  America ;  in  Transactions  of  the  American  Antiquarian  Society,  II, 

G8,  72. 

(29) 


^0  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

called  themselves  the  grandfathers  of  their  kindred  tribes, 
recognized  the  superiority  of  the  Wyandots,  whom  to  this 
day  they  call  their  uncles.  And  though  reduced  to  a  very 
small  number,  the  right  of  the  Wyandots,  derived  either 
from  ancient  sovereignty,  or  from  the  incorporation  of  the 
remnants  of  the  three  extinct  tribes,  to  the  country  between 
Lake  Erie  and  the  Ohio,  from  the  Alleghany  to  the  Great 
Miami,  has  never  been  disputed  by  any  other  than  the  Five 
Nations. 

Their  real  name  Yendots,  wras  well  known  to  the  French, 
who  gave  them  the  nickname  of  Hurons.  They  were  called 
Quatogliee  by  the  Five  Nations,  and  one  of  their  tribes  Di- 
onondadies  or  Tuinontatek.  They  were  visited  in  1615  by 
Champlain,  and  in  1624  by  Father  Sigard ;  and  the  Jesuits, 
who  subsequently  established  missions  among  them,  have 
given,  in  the  "  Relations  of  New  France,"  some  account  of 
their  language,  and  ample  information  of  their  means  of 
subsistence,  manners  and  religious  superstitions.  They  had, 
probably  on  account  of  their  wars  with  the  Five  Nations, 
concentrated  their  settlements  in  thirty-one  villages,  not 
extending  more  altogether  than  twenty  leagues  either  way, 
and  situated  along  or  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Huron,  about 
one  hundred  miles  southwardly  of  the  mouth  of  the  French 
River.  They  consisted  of  five  confederated  tribes,  viz  :  the 
Ataronch-Yonons,  four  villages ;  the  Attiquenongnahai,  three 
villages;  the  Attignaouentan  or  "Nation  de  1'Ours,"  twelve 
villages ;  the  Ahrendah-Youom,  the  most  northeastern  tribe, 
and  with  which  Champlain  resided,  three  villages ;  and  the 
Tionontate,  or  "  Nation  of  the  Petun,"  the  most  southwest 
erly,  which  formerly  had  been  at  war  with  the  other  tribes, 
and  had  entered  the  confederation  recently,  nine  villages.2 

2)  Father  Lallemancl,  1640 ;  Relations,  &c. 


THE   WYANDOTS   OR   HUEONS.  81 

The  small-pox  carried  off  about  twelve  hundred  souls  in 
the  year  1639.  The  Missionaries,  principally  with  a  view  of 
baptizing  dying  children,  visited  at  that  time  every  village, 
and,  with  few  exceptions,  every  cabin;  and  embraced  the 
opportunity  of  making  a  complete  enumeration  of  the  whole 
nation.  They  give  the  general  result  in  round  numbers, 
seven  hundred  cabins,  and  two  thousand  families,  which  they 
estimate  at  twelve,  but  which  could  not  have  exceeded  ten 
thousand  souls.  They  were  not  only  more  warlike,  but,  in 
every  respect,  more  advanced  in  civilization  than  the  North 
ern  Algonquins,  particularly  in  agriculture,  to  which  they 
appear,  probably  from  their  concentrated  situation,  to  have 
been  obliged  to  attend  more  extensively  than  any  other 
Northern  Indian  nation.  The  Missionaries  had  at  first  great 
hardships  to  encounter,  and  found  them  less  tractable  than 
the  Algonquins.  But,  whether  owing  to  the  superior  talents 
of  Father  Brebeuf  and  his  associates,  or  to  the  national  char 
acter,  they  made  ultimately  more  progress  in  converting  the 
Hurons,  and  have  left  a  more  permanent  impression  of 
their  labors  in  the  remnant  of  that  tribe,  than  appears  to 
have  been  done  by  them,  in  any  other  nation  without  the 
boundaries  of  the  French  settlements. 

The  only  communication  of  the  Hurons,  with  the  infant 
colony  of  Canada,  was  by  the  river  Ottawa,  of  a  difficult 
navigation,  interrupted  by  portages.  The  Five  Nations 
directed  their  attacks  to  that  quarter,  cut  off  the  several 
trading  parties,  which  were  in  the  habit  of  descending  and 
ascending  the  river  once  a  year,  and  intercepted  the  commu 
nication  so  effectually,  that,  about  the  year  1646,  the  Mis 
sionaries  on  Lake  Huron  were  three  years  without  receiving 
any  supplies  from  Quebec.  The  Hurons,  who  had  lost  sev 
eral  hundred  warriors  in  those  engagements,  became  dispirited 


32  HISTORY  OP   OHIO. 

and  careless.  They  indeed  abandoned  the  smaller  villages 
and  fortified  the  larger.  This  only  accelerated  their  ruin. 
In  the  year  1649,  the  Five  Nations  invaded  the  country 
with  all  their  forces,  attacked  and  carried  the  most  consider 
able  of  those  places  of  refuge,  arid  massacred  all  the  inhabi 
tants.  The  destruction  was  completed  in  the  course  of  the 
ensuing  year.  A  part  of  the  Ilurons  fled  down  the  Ottawa 
River  and  sought  an  asylum  in  Canada,  where  they  were 
pursued  by  their  implacable  enemies  even  under  the  walls  of 
Quebec.  The  greater  part  of  the  Ahrendas  and  several 
detached  bands  surrendered,  and  were  incorporated  into  the 
Five  Nations.  The  remnant  of  the  Tionontates  took  refuge 
among  the  Chippewas  of  Lake  Superior.  Others  were  dis 
persed  towards  Michillimacinac,  or  in  some  more  remote 
quarters.  This  event  was  immediately  followed  by  the  dis 
persion  of  the  Algonquin  nations  of  the  Ottawa  River. 

In  1671,  the  Tionontates,  after  an  unsuccessful  war  with 
the  Sioux,  left  Lake  Superior  for  Michillimacinac,  where 
they  rallied  around  them  the  dispersed  remnants  of  the  other 
tribes  of  their  nation,  and  probably  of  the  Andastes  and  other 
kindred  tribes,  which  had  been  likewise  nearly  exterminated 
by  the  Five  Nations.  Some  years  later  they  removed  to 
Detroit,  in  the  vicinity  of  their  ancient  seats.  And,  though 
reduced  to  two  villages,  they  resumed  their  ascendancy  over 
the  Algonquin  tribes,  and  acted  a  conspicuous  part  with 
great  sagacity  in  the  ensuing  conflicts  between  the  French 
and  the  Five  Nations.  Charlevoix,  in  1721,  writes,  that 
they  were  still  the  soul  of  the  councils  of  all  the  Western 
Indians.  They  claimed  the  sovereignty  over  the  country 
between  Lake  Erie  and  the  Ohio  River,  which  was  exer 
cised  by  frequent  grants  and  cessions  hereafter  to  be  men 
tioned.  Col.  John  Johnston,  of  Piqua,  the  well  known  Indian 


THE  DELAWARES.  83 

agent,  says  that  their  actual  settlements  extended  from  De 
troit  along  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  as  far  east  as  San- 
dusky  Bay. 

2.  THE  DEL  A  WAKES. — This  interesting  tribe  has  been 
awarded  a  higher  rank  in  the  page  of  Cooper,  the  American 
novelist,  and  in  the  Memoirs  of  the  Moravian  Missionaries, 
than  Indian  tradition  seems  to  warrant.  John  Heckewelder, 
as  their  annalist,  and  David  Zeisberger,  as  their  philologist, 
have  contributed  largely  to  this  favorable  impression.  The 
former  has  preserved  a  Delaware  tradition,  that  many  hun 
dred  years  ago,  the  Lenni  Lenape  resided  in  the  western 
part  of  the  American  continent;  thence  by  a  slow  emigra 
tion,  they  at  length  reached  the  Alleghany  Elver,  so  called 
from  a  nation  of  giants,  the  Allegewi,  against  whom  the  Del- 
awares  and  Iroquois  (the  latter  also  emigrants  from  the  west 
ward)  carried  on  successful  war ;  and,  still  proceeding  east 
ward,  settled  on  the  Delaware,  Hudson,  Susquehannah  and 
Potomac  rivers,  making  the  Delaware  the  center  of  their 
possessions.  The  Delawares,  thus  seated  on  the  Atlantic, 
divided  themselves  into  three  tribes,  distinguished  by  the 
names  of  the  Turtle,  the  Turkey  and  the  Wolf;  or  the 
Unamis,  Unalachtgo  and  Minsi.  The  latter,  also  called  Mon 
seys  or  Muncies,  were  considered  the  most  warlike  and  active 
branch  of  the  Lenape.  "We  shall  see  hereafter  that  the  latter 
designation  was  revived,  with  important  consequences,  in  Ohio. 

Heckewelder  seeks  unsuccessfully  to  explain  the  subjection 
of  the  Delawares  to  the  Five  Nations,  whom  they  called 
Mengwe,  as  a  stratagem  by  the  latter  ;  but  there  is  no  doubt 
that  a  tribe  who,  more  readily  than  any  other,  accepted 
Christianity,  found  themselves  unable  to  cope  with  their  more 
warlike  neighbors  on  the  war  path.3 

3)  Loskiel's  History  of  the  Moravian  Missions  in  North  America;  Part 
1, 130.  Heckewekler's  History  Indian  Nations. 


34  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

About  1740-50,  a  party  of  Delawares,  who  had  been  dis 
turbed  in  Pennsylvania  by  European  emigration,  determined 
to  remove  west  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains,  and  obtained 
from  their  ancient  allies  and  uncles,  the  Wyandots,  the  grant 
of  a  derelict  tract  of  land  lying  principally  on  the  Muskingum. 
Here  they  flourished  and  became  a  very  powerful  tribe. 
From  1765  to  1795,  they  were  at  the  height  of  their  influ 
ence,  but  the  treaty  of  Greenville,  and  the  disasters  sustained 
by  the  Delawares  in  Wayne's  campaign,  were  a  death  blow 
to  their  ascendancy. 

3.  THE  SHAWANESE. — The  conflicting  testimony,  relative 
to  these  Bedouins  of  the  American  wilderness,  is  accurately 
stated  by  Gallatin.4  He  conjectures  that  the  "  Shawnoes," 
as  he  wrrites  the  word,  separated  at  an  early  date  from  the 
other  Lenape  tribes,  and  established  themselves  south  of  the 
Ohio,  in  what  is  now  the  State  of  Kentucky ;  that  having 
been  driven  away  from  that  Territory,  probably  by  the 
Chickasaws  and  Cherokees,  some  portion  found  their  way, 
during  the  first  half  of  the  seventeenth  century,  as  far  east 
as  the  country  of  the  Susquehannocks,  a  kindred  Lenape 
tribe ;  that  the  main  body  of  the  nation,  invited  by  the 
Miamis  and  the  Andastes,  crossed  the  Ohio,  occupied  the 
country  on  and  adjacent  to  the  Scioto,  and  joined  in  the  war 
against  the  Five  Nations ;  and  that,  after  their  final  defeat, 
and  that  of  their  allies,  in  the  year  1672,  they  were  again 
dispersed  in  several  directions.  A  considerable  portion  made 
about  that  time  a  forcible  settlement  on  the  head  waters  of 
the  rivers  of  Carolina ;  and  these,  after  having  been  driven 
away  by  the  Catawbas,  found,  as  others  had  already  done, 
an  asylum  in  different  parts  of  the  Creek  country.  Another 
portion  joined  their  brethren  in  Pennsylvania  ;  and  some  may 

4)  Gallatin's  Synopsis,  65.    Drake's  Life  of  Tecumsch.  10. 


THE    SHAWANESE.  35 

have  remained  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Scioto  and  Sandusky. 
Those  in  Pennsylvania,  who  seem  to  have  been  the  most 
considerable  part  of  the  nation,  were  not  entirely  subjugated 
and  reduced  to  the  humiliating  state  of  women  by  the  Six 
Nations.  But  they  held  their  lands  on  the  Susquehannah 
only  as  tenants  at  will,  and  were  always  obliged  to  acknowl 
edge  a  kind  of  sovereignty  or  superiority  in  their  landlords. 
They  appear  to  have  been  more  early  and  unanimous  than 
the  Delawares  in  their  determination  to  return  to  the  country 
north  of  the  Ohio.  This  they  effected  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Wyandots,  and  on  the  invitation  of  the  French,  during 
the  years  1740—55.  They  occupied  there  the  Scioto  country, 
extending  to  Sandusky,  and  westwardly  towards  the  Great 
Miami,  and  they  have  also  left  there  the  names  of  two  of 
their  tribes,  to  wit :  Chillicothe  and  Piqua.  Those  who  were 
settled  among  the  Creeks  joined  them ;  and  the  nation  was 
once  more  reunited.  Mr.  Johnston,  the  Indian  agent,  says 
that  this  southern  party  lived  on  the  Sawanee  River,  which 
empties  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  is  supposed  to  derive 
its  name  from  them ;  and  that  they  returned  thence,  about 
the  year  1755,  to  the  vicinity  of  Sandusky,  under  the  con 
duct  of  a  chief  called  Black  Hoof.  It  has  been  reported 
that  Tecumseh  and  his  brother,  the  Prophet,  were  sons  of  a 
Creek  woman  married  during  that  migration  to  a  Shawnoe. 
During  the  forty  following  years,  the  Shawanese  were  in 
an  almost  perpetual  state  of  war  with  America,  either  as 
British  colonies  or  as  independent  States.  They  were  among 
the  most  active  allies  of  the  French  during  the  seven  years' 
war  ;  and,  after  the  conquest  of  Canada,  continued,  in  con 
cert  with  the  Delawares,  hostilities  which  were  only  termi 
nated  after  the  successful  campaign  of  General  Bouquet. 
The  first  permanent  settlements  of  the  Americans  beyond 


36  HISTORY   OP   OHIO. 

the  Alleghany  mountains,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Ohio,  were 
commenced  in  the  year  1769,  and  were  soon  followed  by  a 
war  with  the  Shawanese,  which  ended  in  1774,  after  they 
had  been  repulsed  in  a  severe  engagement  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Kanhawa,  and  the  Virginians  had  penetrated  into  their 
country.  They  took  a  most  active  part  against  America, 
both  during  the  war  of  Independence,  and  in  the  Indian  war 
which  followed,  and  which  was  terminated  in  1795  at  Green 
ville.  They  lost,  by  that  treaty,  nearly  the  whole  territory 
which  they  held  from  the  Wyandots ;  and  a  part  of  them, 
under  the  guidance  of  Tecumseh,  again  joined  the  British 
standard  during  the  war  of  1812. 

4.  OTTAWAS. — The  name  of  this  tribe  was  either  derived 
from,  or  communicated  to  the  Canadian  River,  on  whose 
banks  they  lived  until  driven  westward  by  the  Five  Nations, 
where  they  took  refuge  among  the  Pottawatamies  and  Ojib- 
was.  The  western  shore  of  Lake  Huron,  and  the  northern 
portion  of  the  Michigan  peninsula,  was  the  asylum  of  the 
fugitive  Ottawas.  The  tribe  has  been  distinguished  in  the 
person  of  Pontiac,  chief  of  the  Ottawas,  whose  conspiracy 
against  the  British  garrisons  in  1763,  was  a  master  stroke  of 
Indian  sagacity,  ranking  its  instigator  with  Phillip  and  Te 
cumseh.  The  honor  of  his  birth  has  been  claimed  by  other 
tribes,  and  his  mother  was  said  to  be  an  Ojibwa  woman,  but 
he  was  doubtless  born  among  the  Ottawas.  He  obtained  a 
controlling  influence  over  the  Ojibwas  and  Pottawatamies, 
and  made  their  confederacy  with  the  Ottawas  the  basis  of  his 
combination  against  the  English.  But  we  must  not  anticipate. 
We  have  mentioned  him  in  these  terms,  because  the  practice 
of  antiquarian  writers  is  to  depreciate  the  Ottawas,  and  the 
name  of  the  great  Ottawa  chief  is  their  best  vindication. 

It  has  been  remarked  that,  among  the  Ottawas  alone,  the 


INDIAN   OCCUPATION   OF   1750.  37 

heavenly  bodies  were  an  object  of  veneration — the  Sun  rank 
ing  as  their  Supreme  Deity.  This  tribe,  whose  mythology 
was  more  complicated  than  usual  with  the  Indians,  were 
accustomed  to  keep  a  regular  festival  to  celebrate  the  benefi 
cence  of  the  Sun ;  on  which  occasion  the  luminary  was  told 
that  this  service  was  in  return  for  the  good  hunting  he  had 
procured  for  his  people,  and  as  an  encouragement  to  perse 
vere  in  his  friendly  cares.  They  were  also  observed  to  erect 
an  idol  in  the  middle  of  their  town,  and  sacrifice  to  it ;  but 
such  ceremonies  were  by  no  means  general.  On  first  wit 
nessing  Christian  worship,  the  only  idea  suggested  by  it  was 
that  of  asking  some  temporal  good,  which  was  either  granted 
or  refused.5 

Bancroft  states  that  the  word  "Ottowa,"  signifies  "tra 
der,"  and  was  probably  applied  by  the  Hurons  from  the  fact 
that  the  tribe  was  principally  settled  on  and  in  the  vicinity 
of  an  island  in  the  Ottawa  River,  where  they  exacted  a 
tribute  from  all  the  Indians  and  canoes  going  to,  or  comimg 
from  the  country  of  the  Hurons.  It  is  observed  by  a  Jesuit 
father,  Le  Jeune,  that  although  the  Hurons  were  ten  times 
as  numerous,  they  submitted  to  that  imposition  ;  which  seems 
to  prove  that  the  right  of  sovereignty  over  the  Ottawa  River 
was  generally  recognized.  After  their  expulsion  from  this 
aboriginal  custom  house,  the  memory  of  their  island  home 
seems  to  have  been  preserved ;  for  during  the  last  century 
they  sought  and  were  suffered  to  take  possession  of  the 
islands  of  Lake  Erie  and  the  peninsula  of  Sandusky,  where 
their  fishing  and  trapping  parties  were  found  by  the  French 
traders  as  early  as  1750. 

Soon  after  the  period  now  under  consideration,  straggling 
parties  of  New  York  Indians  were  occasionally  found  near 

5)  Missions  en  la  Nouvelle  France,  1635,  p.  72. 


38  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

Lake  Erie ;  and  at  least  one  Mingo  town  (the  term  designa 
ting  any  of  the  Six  Nations,  but,  in  this  instance,  a  party  of 
Cayuga  Indians,)  was  situated  on  the  Ohio  River,  just  below 
the  present  site  of  Steubenville.  Logan,  celebrated  for  the 
specimen  of  Indian  eloquence  attributed  to  him  by  Jefferson, 
was  a  Mingo  or  Cayuga,  and  resided  in  the  village  above 
mentioned.  We  shall  have  further  occasion  to  mention  the 
arrival  of  Caughnewagas  arid  Senecas  (the  former,  a  tribe 
from  Canada,  supposed  by  Heckewelder  to  be  the  old  Con 
necticut  Mohicans,  mingled  with  various  Iroquois  Indians, ) 
in  different  sections  of  the  southern  coast  of  Lake  Erie.  Th 
four  tribes  above  named,  however,  alone  deserve  the  designa 
tion  of  Ohio  Indians  at  the  date  before  us. 

Some  idea  of  the  Indian  occupation  of  Ohio  in  1T50  ia 
now  attainable.  It  will  be  seen  by  what  precedes,  that  the 
Delawares  occupied  the  valley  of  the  Muskingum,  and  thence 
to  Lake  Erie  and  the  River  Ohio,  asserting  a  possession  over 
about  one-half  of  the  State ;  the  Shawanese  were  soon 
admitted  to  the  valleys  of  the  Scioto  and  Miami  Rivers, 
adjoining  the  Twigtwees  or  Miami  Indians  ;  while  the  Wyan- 
dots,  and  a  few  bands  of  Ottawas,  dwelt  upon  the  waters  of 
Sandusky  and  Maumee,  but  nearer  the  bays  into  which  they 
fell  than  their  sources.  As  for  the  Wyandots,  it  should  be 
remembered  that  the  principal  seat  of  the  tribe  was  oppo 
site  Detroit,  and  the  Ohio  settlements  were  in  the  nature 
of  colonies  from  the  peninsulas  bordering  Lake  Huron. 
This  was  also  the  case  with  the  Ottawas,  whose  villages  were 
scattered  along  the  shore  ;  although,  on  a  map  drawn  in  1763, 
the  remains  of  an  "  Ottowa  fort"  are  visible  near  the  present 
site  of  Plymouth,  Huron  county,  while  an  Ottawa  town  is 
put  down  on  the  Cuyahoga  River,  about  thirty  miles  from  its 
mouth.  The  Ohio  Indians,  it  may  be  necessary  to  add,  were 


CHARACTERISTICS    OF   THE    OHIO    INDIANS.  39 

superior  specimens  of  the  race.  The  Delawares  were  the 
ancestral  tribe,  and  their  biography  contains  an  unusual  num 
ber  of  remarkable  personages,  though  none  of  so  extraordi 
nary  career  or  character  as  to  be  known  to  the  present  gene 
ration.  They  will  receive  a  large  degree  of  our  notice  when 
the  history  of  the  Moravian  mission  comes  before  us ;  for  it 
was  principally  among  the  Delawares  that  the  missionaries 
were  successful  in  making  conversions.  The  Shawanese, 
whose  rovings  might  vindicate  their  claim,  at  least,  to  be  a 
lost  tribe  of  Israel,  have  been  frequently  characterized  as  the 
"Spartans"  of  the  race  ;  and  certainly  their  constancy  in 
braving  danger  and  enduring  all  the  consequences  of  defeat, 
merits  the  appellation.  But  it  is  by  the  name  of  Tecumseh, 
a  son  of  the  nation,  though  by  an  alien  mother,  as  we  have 
before  observed  of  his  great  Ottawa  prototype,  that  the  name 
"  Shawnee,"  will  be  commemorated  in  the  wild  annals  of 
our  aboriginal  history.  The  Ottawas,  so  far  as  they  have 
ever  been  observed  on  the  soil  of  Ohio,  have  hardly  sustained 
the  gravity  and  dignity  of  position,  which  we  spontaneously 
assign  to  the  Wyandot  and  the  Delaware.  Compared  with 
his  forest  brethren,  the  Ottawa,  or  Tahwah,  (as  the  early 
settlers  called  him,)  whose  life  was  nearly  amphibious,  by 
his  joint  avocations  of  trapper  and  fisher,  seems  to  be  rather 
a  Pariah  among  his  brethren,  but  to  whom  history  will  be 
more  indulgent,  in  deference  to  the  name  of  Pontiac.  As  for 
the  Wyandots,  ever  recurring  as  the  tribe  will  be  in  these 
chapters,  we  can  do  no  better  than  to  give  a  paragraph  from 
Gen.  Harrison's  discourse,  to  which  we  have  frequently 
referred.  He  gives  the  Wyandots  the  unquestioned  prefer 
ence  among  the  Western  Indians  on  the  score  of  bravery. 
With  the  other  tribes,  flight  in  battle,  when  occasioned  by 
unexpected  resistance  and  obstacles,  brought  with  it  no  dis- 


40  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

grace,  and  was  rather  a  part  of  their  strategy :  but  otherwise 
with  the  Wyandots.  In  the  battle  of  the  Rapids  of  the 
Miami,  in  which  the  confederated  tribes  were  broken  by  Gen. 
Wayne,  of  thirteen  chiefs  of  the  Wyandots  one  only  survived, 
and  he  badly  wounded.  The  following  anecdote  illustrates 
this  trait  in  their  character : 

"  When  General  Wayne  assumed  the  position  of  Green 
ville,  in  1793,  he  sent  for  Captain  Wells,  who  commanded  a 
company  of  scouts,  and  told  him  that  '  he  wished  him  to  go 
to  Sandusky  and  take  a  prisoner,  for  the  purpose  of  obtain 
ing  information.'  Wells  (who,  having  been  taken  from 
Kentucky  when  a  boy,  and  brought  up  among  the  Indians, 
was  perfectly  acquainted  with  their  character,)  answered, 
that  '  he  could  take  a  prisoner,  but  not  from  Sandusky.' 
'And  why  not  from  Sandusky?'  said  the  General.  'Be 
cause,'  answered  the  Captain,  'there  arc  only  Wyandots 
there.'  '  Well,  why  will  not  Wyandots  do  ? '  '  For  the  best 
of  reasons,'  said  Wells,  '  because  Wyandots  will  not  be  taken 
alive.'" 


CHAPTER  IV. 

LAKE  ERIE  IX  THE  SEVENTEENTH  CENTURY. 

CLOSELY  related  as  Ohio  is  to  the  mighty  current  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  a  rapid  outline  of  its  early  exploration  will  not  be 
deemed  too  discursive,  although  our  attention  will  thus  be 
recalled  to  events  which  transpired  during  the  seventeenth 
century. 

The  magnificent  water-course  which  constitutes  the  north 
ern  border  of  the  Atlantic  and  Mississippi  States,  aided 
materially  in  the  colonization  of  its  extended  coast.  As  at 
Plymouth,  it  was  religious  sentiment  which  first  opened  the 
adventurous  way  to  the  borders  of  our  inland  lakes.  As 
early  as  1616,  Le  Caron,  an  unambitious  Franciscan  monk, 
the  companion  of  the  noted  Champlain,  had  traversed  New 
York,  and  threading  the  Canadian  peninsula,  reached  the 
rivers  of  Lake  Huron.  As  Quebec  was  founded  only  eight 
years  before,  the  voyage  of  the  missionary  probably  deserves 
the  distinction  of  a  first  discovery.  In  1625,  we  hear  of  the 
Franciscans  laboring  with  the  Neutral  Hurons  near  the  Ni- 


o 


Tempting  as  the  theme  may  be,  we  must  be  content  with 
a  mere  chronology  of  the  French  missions  on  the  great  lakes. 
They  were  repelled  from  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Erie  du 
ring  the  following  fifty  years,  which  was  the  period  of  their 
greatest  activity,  by  the  hostility  of  the  Iroquois,  who  were 
often  at  war  with  the  natives  of  the  soil.1 

1)  Charles  Whittlesey  relates  (Discourse  before  Ohio  Historical  Society 
in  1810,  p.  8.)  that  trees  have  been  found  on  the  Western  Reserve,  bearing 

the  marks  of  an  axe,  >sThich.  judging  from  the  rings,  were  made  in  1660. 
9*  (41) 


42  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

The  Jesuits  succeeded  all  other  religious  orders  in  the 
labor  of  evangelization,  and  from  1634  to  1647,  no  less  than 
forty-two  missionaries  of  that  society  were  devoted  to  the 
tribes  in  Upper  Canada — assembling  twice  or  thrice  a  year 
at  St.  Marys,  a  central  spot  upon  the  banks  of  the  Matche- 
dash,  between  Lakes  Toronto  or  Simcoe  and  Huron.  Per 
haps  no  passage  of  colonial  history  is  so  full  of  romantic 
interest  as  the  narrative  of  the  Wyandot  Mission,  of  which 
Bancroft  has  furnished  a  faithful  and  fascinating  picture  ;  but 
as  early  as  1649,  the  principal  seat  of  the  Jesuit  Fathers, 
the  village  of  St.  Ignatius,  was  destroyed  by  the  ruthless 
Mohawks,  and  the  peaceful  inmates  involved  in  a  general 
massacre.  The  names  of  Anthony  Daniel,  Jean  de  Brebeuf 
and  Gabriel  Lallemand,  have  been  preserved  to  us,  fragrant 
with  their  martyrdom  in  the  wilderness. 

Every  dispassionate  reader  will  readily  respond  to  the 
tribute  by  the  single-hearted  annalist  of  New  France.  "  It 
is  certain,"  says  Charlevoix,  "  as  well  from  the  annual  rela 
tions  of  those  happy  times,  as  from  the  constant  tradition  of 
that  country,  that  a  peculiar  unction  attached  to  this  savage 
mission,  giving  it  a  preference  over  many  others  far  more 
brilliant  and  fruitful.  The  reason  no  doubt  was,  that  nature, 
finding  nothing  there  to  gratify  the  senses  or  to  flatter  vanity — 
stumbling  blocks  too  common  even  to  the  holiest — grace 
worked  without  obstacle.  The  Lord,  who  never  allows  him 
self  to  be  outdone,  communicates  himself  without  measure 
to  those  who  sacrifice  themselves  without  reserve  ;  who,  dead 
to  all,  detached  entirely  from  themselves  and  the  world,  pos 
sess  their  souls  in  unalterable  peace,  perfectly  established  in 
that  child-like  spirituality  which  Jesus  Christ  has  recom 
mended  to  his  disciples  as  that  which  ought  to  be  the  most 
marked  trait  of  their  character."  "  Such  is  the  portrait," 


FRENCH   EXPLORATIONS.  43 

adds  Charlevoix,  "drawn  of  the  missionaries  of  New  France 
by  those  who  knew  them  best.  I  myself  knew  some  of  them 
in  my  youth,  and  I  found  them  such  as  I  have  painted  them, 
bending  under  the  labor  of  a  long  apostleship,  with  bodies 
exhausted  by  fatigues  and  broken  with  age,  but  still  preserv 
ing  all  the  vigor  of  the  apostolic  spirit,  and  I  have  thought 
it  but  right  to  do  them  here  the  same  justice  universally  done 
them  in  the  country  of  their  labors." 

The  Relations  or  Journals  of  the  Jesuit  Fathers  contain 
incidental  descriptions  of  the  lake  coast  from  "  Unghiara," 
or  Niagara,  to  Lake  Superior,  otherwise  called  "  Tracy " 
and  "  Upper  Lake."  A  map,  published  at  Paris,  in  1660, 
indicates  a  discovery  of  Lake  Michigan,  or  "  Lake  of  the 
Illinois." 

In  1668,  the  mission  of  Sault  St.  Mary  was  established 
by  Claude  Dablon  and  James  Marquette — the  oldest  settle 
ment  in  Michigan. 

In  1671,  Marquette  gathered  some  wandering  Hurons 
round  a  chapel  at  point  St.  Ignace,  on  the  main  land  north 
of  the  peninsula  of  Michigan. 

In  1673,  Marquette,  accompanied  by  Joliet,  a  trader  of 
Quebec,  and  five  other  Frenchmen,  with  a  number  of  Indian 
guides,  paddled  up  Green  Bay  in  birch  bark  canoes,  ascended 
Fox  River  to  the  head  of  navigation  and  crossed  the  Portage 
to  the  banks  of  the  Wisconsin.  Here  their  guides  deserted 
the  party,  from  fear  of  the  Sioux,  but  the  Frenchmen  fear 
lessly  followed  the  current  of  the  Wisconsin,  until,  on  the 
17th  of  June,  the  Mississippi  was  discovered. 

In  1678,  La  Salle,  accompanied  by  Tonti,  an  Italian  sol 
dier,  and  Lewis  Hennepin,  a  Flemish  friar  of  the  order  of 
Recollects,  commenced  the  construction  of  the  "  Griffin,"  a 
bark  of  sixty  tons,  near  the  present  site  of  Buffalo.  During 


44  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

the  next  summer,  this  bark  was  ready  for  the  voyage,  and  on 
the  7th  of  August,  1679,  the  surface  of  Lake  Erie  was  first 
parted  by  the  keel  of  civilization.  The  crew  was  thirty-four 
in  all — sailors,  hunters  and  soldiers — while  father  Hennepin 
was  accompanied  by  several  friars  of  his  order. 

Our  purpose  is  not  to  follow  this  exploring  expedition  after 
leaving  Lake  Erie.  The  present  digression  only  relates  to 
their  adventures  from  Niagara  to  Detroit.  The  voyage  to 
Mackinaw — the  return  of  the  Griffin  loaded  with  furs,  and 
the  wreck  of  the  bark  in  Lake  Erie — La  Salle's  subsequent 
wanderings  in  Illinois  among  innumerable  discouragements — 
his  weary  journey  to  Fort  Frontenac  on  Lake  Ontario,  tra 
versing  the  ridge  which  divides  the  basin  of  the  Ohio  from 
that  of  the  lakes — his  return  to  the  Illinois  in  1681,  these 
and  subsequent  particulars  of  his  heroic  adventures  and  un 
timely  end  in  the  wilderness  of  Louisiana,  belong  to  general 
history,  and  we  must  resist  the  temptation  to  pursue  the 
romantic  record. 

His  companion,  Hennepin,  has  left  to  us  a  readable  book, 
which,  authentic  for  our  purposes  of  reference,  has  been 
sharply  criticised  and  also  lustily  defended,2  in  respect  to  its 
narrative  of  exploration  and  discovery  in  the  valley  of  the 
Mississippi.  With  that  controversy  we  have  nothing  to  do. 
His  sketch  of  Lake  Erie,  as  it  was  in  1679,  is  our  only  con 
cern  with  the  gray-coated  Franciscan.  We  even  suppress 
the  inclination  to  give  a  personal  history  of  the  doughty  friar. 

We  repeat  Hennepin's  description  of  Niagara  Falls  in  his 
own  words,  preserving  also  the  typography  of  1698,  the  date 
of  the  edition  in  our  possession : 

"  Betwixt  the  Lake  Ontario,  and  Erie,  there  is  a  vast  and 
prodigious  Cadence  of  Water  which  falls  down  after  a  sur- 

2)  Democratic  Review,  v.  190,  381. 


HENNEPIN'S  DESCRIPTION  OF  NIAGARA.  45 

prising  and  astonishing  manner,  insomuch  that  the  Universe 
docs  not  afford  its  Parallel.  '  Tis  true  Italy  and  Suedeland 
boast  of  some  such  things ;  but  we  may  well  say  they  arc 
but  sorry  Patterns,  when  compared  to  this  of  which  we  now 
speak.  At  the  foot  of  this  horrible  Prescipice,  we  meet  with 
the  River  Niagara,  which  is  not  above  half  a  quarter  of  a 
League  broad,  but  is  wonderfully  deep  in  some  places.  It 
is  so  rapid  above  this  Descent,  that  it  violently  hurries  down 
the  wild  Beasts  while  endeavoring  to  pass  it  to  feed  on  the 
other  side,  they  not  being  able  to  withstand  the  force  of  its 
Current,  which  inevitably  casts  them  down  above  Six  hun 
dred  feet. 

"  This  wonderful  Downfall  is  compounded  of  two  great 
Cross-streams  of  Water,  and  two  Falls,  with  an  Isle  sloping 
along  the  middle  of  it.  The  waters  which  fall  from  this  vast 
height  do  foam  and  boil  after  the  most  hideous  manner  im 
aginable,  making  an  outrageous  noise,  more  terrible  than 
that  of  Thunder.,  for  when  the  Wind  blows  from  off  the 
South,  their  dismal  roaring  may  be  heard  above  fifteen 
Leagues  off. 

"  The  River  Niagara  having  thrown  itself  down  this  in 
credible  Precipice,  continues  its  impetuous  course  for  two 
Leagues  together,  to  the  great  Rock  above  mentioned,  with 
an  inexpressible  rapidity  :  But  having  passed  that,  its  Im 
petuosity  relents,  gliding  along  more  gently  for  two  Leagues, 
till  it  arrives  at  the  Lake  Ontario  or  Frontenac. 

"  Any  Barque  or  greater  vessel  may  pass  from  the  Fort 
to  the  foot  of  this  huge  rock  above  mentioned.  This  rock 
lies  to  the  Westward,  and  is  cut  off  from  the  Land  by  the 
River  Niagara,  about  two  Leagues  farther  down  than  the 
great  Fall  ;  for  which  two  Leagues  the  people  are  oblig'd  to 
carry  their  Goods  over-land  ;  but  the  way  is  very  good  and 


46  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

the  Trees  are  but  few  and  they  chiefly  Firr  and  Oaks. 
From  the  great  Fall  unto  this  Rock,  which  is  to  the  West 
of  the  River,  the  two  Brinks  of  it  are  so  prodigious  high, 
that  it  would  make  one  tremble  to  look  steadily  upon  the 
Water,  rolling  along  with  a  Rapidity  not  to  be  imagined. 
Were  it  not  for  this  vast  Cataract,  which  interrupts  Naviga 
tion,  they  might  sail  with  Barks  or  greater  Vessels,  above 
Four  hundred  and  fifty  Leagues  farther,  cross  the  Lake  of 
the  ffurons,  and  up  to  the  farther  end  of  the  Lake  Illinois  ; 
which  two  Lakes  we  may  well  say  are  little  Seas  of  fresh 
Water." 

A  chapter  in  Hennepin's  Discoveries  is  devoted  to  Lake 
Erie,  which  is  written  with  an  accent  on  the  last  letter,  and 
appears  to  have  been  pronounced  in  three  syllables.  He 
says  the  lake  is  called  Erie  Tejocharontiong,  and  "  extends 
itself  from  east  to  west,  a  hundred  and  forty  leagues  in 
length.  But  (he  boastfully  adds)  no  European  has  ever 
surveyed  it  at  all  ;  only  I,  and  those  who  accompanied  me 
in  this  discovery,  have  viewed  the  greater  part  of  it.  This 
lake  encloses  on  its  southern  bank  a  tract  of  land  as  large  as 
the  Kingdom  of  France.  It  divides  itself  at  a  certain  place 
into  two  channels,  because  of  a  great  island  enclosed  betwixt 
them."  In  the  narrative  of  the  Griffin's  "  Trial  Trip,"  some 
further  particulars  are  given  of  Lake  Erie  : 

"  On  the  7th  of  August,  1679,  we  went  on  board,3  and 
sailed  from  the  mouth  of  Lake  Erie,  steering  our  course 
west-south-west  with  a  favorable  wind ;  and  though  the  ene 
mies  of  our  Discovery  had  given  out,  on  purpose  to  deter  us 
from  our  enterprise,  that  the  Lake  Erie  was  full  of  rocks 
and  sands,  which  rendered  the  navigation  impracticable,  we 
run  above  twenty  leagues  during  the  night,  though  we 
3)  The  typography  of  1698  is  conformed  to  the  present  usage. 


THE   STRAIT   OF  DETROIT.  47 

sounded  all  that  while.  The  next  day,  the  wind  being  more 
favorable,  we  made  above  five  and  forty  leagues,  keeping  at 
an  equal  distance  from  the  banks  of  the  lake,  and  doubled  a 
cape  to  the  westward,  which  we  called  the  Cape  of  St. 
Francis.  The  next  day  we  doubled  two  other  capes,  and 
met  with  no  manner  of  rocks  or  sands.  We  discovered  a 
pretty  large  island  towards  the  southwest,  about  seven  or 
eight  leagues  from  the  northern  coast ;  that  island  faces  the 
strait  that  comes  from  the  Lake  Huron. 

"The  10th,  very  early  in  the  morning,  we  passed  between 
that  island  and  seven  or  eight  lesser  ones ;  and  having  sailed 
near  another,  which  is  nothing  but  sand,  to  the  west  of  the 
lake,  we  came  to  an  anchor  at  the  mouth  of  the  strait,  which 
runs  from  the  Lake  Huron  into  that  of  Erie.  The  llth,  we 
went  farther  into  the  strait,  and  passed  between  two  small 
islands,  which  make  one  of  the  finest  prospects  in  the  world. 
This  strait  is  finer  than  that  of  Niagara,  being  thirty  leagues 
long  and  everywhere  one  league  broad,  except  in  the  middle, 
which  is  wider,  forming  the  lake  we  have  called  St.  Clair. 
The  navigation  is  easy  on  both  sides,  the  coast  being  low  and 
even.  It  runs  directly  from  north  to  south. 

"The  country  between  those  two  lakes  is  very  well  situa 
ted,  and  the  soil  very  fertile.  The  banks  of  the  strait  are 
vast  meadows,  and  the  prospect  is  terminated  by  some  hills 
covered  with  vineyards.  Trees  bearing  good  fruit,  groves 
and  forests  so  well  disposed  that  one  would  think  nature  alone 
could  not  have  made,  without  the  help  of  art,  so  charming  a 
prospect.  That  country  is  stocked  with  stags,  wild  goats 
and  bears,  which  are  good  for  food,  and  not  fierce  as  in  other 
countries  :  some  think  they  are  better  than  our  pork.  Tur 
key  cocks  and  swans  are  there  also  very  common ;  and  our 
men  brought  several  other  beasts  and  birds,  whose  names  are 


48  HISTORY   OP   OHIO. 

unknown  to  us,  but  they  are  extraordinary  relishing.  The 
forests  are  chiefly  made  up  of  walnut  trees,  chestnut  trees, 
plum  trees,  and  pear  trees,  loaded  with  their  own  fruit  and 
vines.  There  is  also  abundance  of  timber  fit  for  building ; 
so  that  those  who  shall  be  so  happy  as  to  inhabit  that  noble 
country,  cannot  but  remember  with  gratitude  those  who  have 
discovered  the  way,  by  venturing  to  sail  upon  an  unknown 
lake  for  above  one  hundred  leagues.  That  charming  strait 
lies  between  forty  and  forty-one  degrees  of  northern  latitude." 

La  Salle  visited  the  Hurons,  "  who  inhabited  the  Point  of 
Missilimakinak,"  and  the  "  Outtaouatz,"  or  Ottawas,  who 
were  three  or  four  leagues  more  northward,  who  are  described 
as  "in  confederacy  together  against  the  Iroquese,  their  com 
mon  enemy.  They  sow  Indian  corn,  wrhich  is  their  ordinary 
food ;  for  they  have  nothing  else  to  live  upon,  except  some  fish 
they  take  in  the  lakes."  Of  the  latter,  the  Indians  "  brought 
abundance  of  whitings  and  some  trouts  of  50  and  60  pound 
weight." 

Late  in  1680,  Father  Hennepin  returned  from  his  explo 
rations  of  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  and  the  upper  lakes, 
and  passed  the  winter  of  1681  at  Michillimacinac,  in  com 
pany  with  Father  Pierson,  a  Jesuit,  whom  he  found  with  the 
Indians.  We  quote  again: 

"  During  the  winter,  we  broke  holes  in  the  ice  of  Lake 
Huron,  and  by  means  of  several  large  stones,  sunk  our  nets 
sometimes  twenty,  sometimes  twenty-five  fathom  under  water, 
to  catch  fish,  which  we  did  in  great  abundance.  We  took 
salmon  trouts  which  often  weighed  from  forty  to  fifty  pounds. 
These  made  our  Indian  wheat  go  down  the  better,  which  was 
our  ordinary  diet.  Our  beverage  was  nothing  but  broth 
made  of  whiteings,  which  we  drank  hot,  because  as  it  cools 
it  turns  to  jelly,  as  if  it  had  been  made  of  veal. 


LAKE  ERIE  IN  THE  SEVENTEENTH  CENTURY.      49 

"  During  our  stay  here,  Father  Pierson  and  I  would  often 
divert  ourselves  on  the  ice,  where  we  skated  on  the  lake,  as 
they  do  in  Holland.  I  had  learned  this  slight  when  I  was  at 
Ghent."  Hennepin  here  admitted  forty-two  Canadians  to 
the  order  of  Saint  Francis. 

In  Easter  week,  1681,  the  Franciscan  and  his  companions 
left  Michillimacinac,  and  after  drawing  their  canoes  for  twelve 
or  thirteen  leagues  over  the  ice,  embarked  on  Lake  Huron, 
"  the  sides  of  which  still  continued  froze  five  or  six  leagues 
broad."  After  rowing  a  hundred  leagues,  they  passed  the 
straits,  and  arrived  at  "  the  Lake  Erie,  or  of  the  Cat," 
where  they  spent  some  time  "  to  kill  sturgeon,  which  come 
here  in  great  numbers  to  cast  their  spawn  on  the  side  of  the 
Lake."  They  took  nothing  but  "  the  belly  of  the  fish,  which 
is  the  most  delicious  part,  and  threw  away  the  rest."  Their 
further  adventures  in  Lake  Erie  are  narrated  as  follows  : 

"  This  place  afforded  also  plenty  of  venison  and  fowl.  As 
we  were  standing  in  the  lake,  upon  a  large  point  of  land 
which  runs  itself  very  far  into  the  water,  wre  perceived  a  bear 
in  it  as  far  as  we  could  see.  We  could  not  imagine  how  this 
creature  got  there  ;  '  twas  very  improbable  that  he  should 
swim  from  one  side  to  t'  other,  that  was  thirty  or  forty  leagues 
over.  It  happened  to  be  very  calm  ;  and  so  two  of  our  men, 
leaving  us  on  the  point,  put  off  to  attack  the  bear,  that  was 
near  a  quarter  of  a  league  out  in  the  lake.  They  made  two 
shots  at  him,  one  after  another,  otherwise  the  beast  would 
certainly  have  sunk  them.  As  soon  as  they  had  fired,  they 
were  forced  to  sheer  off  as  fast  as  they  could  to  charge  again ; 
which  when  they  had  done,  they  returned  to  the  attack.  The 
bear  was  forced  to  stand  it,  and  it  cost  them  no  less  than 
seven  shot  before  they  could  compass  him. 

"As  they  endeavored  to  get  him  aboard,  they  were  like 


50  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

to  have  been  overset ;  which,  if  they  had,  they  must  have 
been  infallibly  lost :  All  they  could  do  was  to  fasten  him  to 
the  bar  that  is  in  the  middle  of  the  canoe,  and  so  drag  him 
on  shore  ;  which  they  did  at  last  with  much  ado  and  great 
hazard  of  their  lives.  We  had  all  the  leisure  that  was  re 
quisite  for  the  dressing  and  ordering  him,  so  as  to  make  him 
keep  ;  and  in  the  meantime  took  out  his  entrails,  and  having 
cleansed  and  boiled  them,  eat  heartily  of  them.  These  are 
as  good  a  dish  as  those  of  our  sucking  pigs  in  Europe.  His 
flesh  served  us  the  rest  of  our  voyage,  which  we  usually  eat 
with  lean  goats'  flesh,  because  it  is  too  fat  to  eat  by  itself ; 
so  that  we  lived  for  an  hundred  leagues  upon  the  game  that 
we  killed  in  this  place. 

"  There  was  a  certain  captain  of  the  Outtaonacts,  (Otta- 
was,)  to  whom  the  Intendant  Talon  gave  his  own  name, 
whilst  he  was  at  Quebec.  He  used  to  come  often  to  that 
city  with  those  of  his  nation  who  brought  furs  thither.  We 
were  strangely  surprised  at  the  sight  of  this  man,  whom  we 
found  almost  famished,  and  more  like  a  skeleton  than  a  living 
man.  He  told  us  the  name  of  Talon  would  be  soon  extinct 
in  this  country,  since  he  resolved  not  to  survive  the  loss  ot 
six  of  his  family  who  had  been  starved  to  death.  He  added, 
that  the  Fishery  and  the  Chase  had  both  failed  this  year, 
which  was  the  occasion  of  this  sad  disaster. 

"  He  told  us,  moreover,  that  though  the  Iroquois  were  not 
in  war  with  his  nation,  yet  had  they  taken  and  carried  into 
slavery  an  entire  family  of  twelve  souls.  He  begged  very 
earnestly  of  me,  that  I  would  use  my  utmost  endeavors  to 
have  them  released,  if  they  were  yet  alive,  and  gave  me  two 
necklaces  of  black  and  white  porcelain  that  I  might  be  sure 
not  to  neglect  a  business  wThich  he  had  so  much  to  heart. 
'  I  can  rely  upon  thee,  Barefoot,  (for  so  they  always  called 


HENNEPIN'S  DISCOVERIES.  51 

us,)  and  am  confident  that  the  Iroquese  will  hearken  to  thy 
reasons  sooner  than  any  one's.  Thou  didst  often  advise  them 
at  their  Councils,  which  were  held  then  at  the  Fort  of  Kata- 
rockoni,4  where  thou  hast  caused  a  great  cabin  to  be  built. 
Had  I  been  at  my  village  when  thou  cam'st  through  it,  I 
would  have  clone  all  that  I  could  to  have  kept  thee  instead 
of  the  Black  Coat,  (so  they  call  the  Jesuits,)  which  was 
there.'  When  the  poor  Captain  had  done  speaking,  I  sol 
emnly  promised  him  to  use  my  utmost  interest  with  the  Iro 
quese  for  the  releasement  of  his  friends. 

"  After  we  had  rowed  above  a  hundred  and  forty  leagues 
upon  the  Lake  Erie,  by  reason  of  the  many  windings  of  the 
bays  and  creeks  which  we  were  forced  to  coast,  we  passed 
by  the  Great  Fall  of  Niagara,  and  spent  half  a  day  in  con 
sidering  the  wonders  of  that  prodigious  cascade." 

"  I  could  not  conceive  how  it  came  to  pass  that  four  great 
lakes,  the  least  of  which  is  400  leagues  in  compass,  should 
empty  themselves  one  into  another,  and  then  all  centre  and 
discharge  themselves  at  this  Great  Fall,  and  yet  not  drown 
good  part  of  America." 

Whereupon  Hennepin,  after  modestly  wishing  that  some 
body  had  been  with  him  "  who  could  have  described  the 
wonders  of  this  prodigious  frightful  fall  so  as  to  give  the 
reader  a  just  and  natural  idea  of  it,"  proceeds  to  submit 
"  the  following  Draught  such  as  it  is,"  but  which  we  do  not 
choose  to  transcribe.  On  his  route  to  Fort  Frontenac,  he 
claims  to  have  visited  the  Iroquois,  and  obtained  the  "  re 
leasement  "  of  the  twelve  prisoners  whom  they  had  taken, 
and  notices  the  flight  of  pigeons  over  their  heads  in  clouds 
as  u  a  thing  worthy  of  admiration.  The  birds  that  were 
flying  at  the  head  of  the  others,  keep  often  back  to  ease  and 

4)  Fort  Frontenac,  now  Kingston,  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Ontario. 


52  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

help  those  among  them  that  are  tired  ;  which  may  be  a  lesson 
to  men  to  help  one  another  in  time  of  need." 

There  is  a  map  attached  to  Hennepin's  work  which  shows 
how  little  was  known  of  the  interior  of  this  continent  in 
1698.  "  Lake  Erie  or  of  the  Cat,"  is  represented  as  three 
times  as  large  as  Lake  Ontario,  and  equal  to  Superior.  It 
is  wider  at  the  western  extremity  than  elsewhere,  extending 
four  degrees  of  latitude  from  the  straits  on  the  northwest 
nearly  south  to  the  line  of  the  36th  degree,  or  the  latitude  of 
Nashville.  One  degree  below  the  southwest  angle  of  the 
lake,  the  "  Hohio,"  as  it  is  called  near  the  mouth,  or  the 
"  Ouye,"  as  elsewhere  styled,  is  laid  down  as  flowing  be 
tween  u  Apalachin  Hills,"  which  range  east  and  west  from 
Virginia  towards  the  Mississippi.  A  lake  nearly  as  large  as 
Ontario  is  placed  on  the  south  side  of  these  hills,  apparently 
the  supposed  source  of  the  Savannah  River.  The  Mischa- 
sipi,  or  Mississippi,  is  laid  down  in  reasonable  proportion,  the 
foreshortening  of  the  country  east  of  it  being  the  most  ludi 
crous  feature  of  the  map.  It  is  the  same,  as  if  the  Ohio 
was  sixty  miles  south  of  Sandusky  Bay,  a  mountain  chain 
intervening,  and  then  the  whole  country  as  far  south  as  Ala 
bama  ignored,  sunk  by  a  geographical  earthquake.  The 
direction  of  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Eric  is  not  inaccurate, 
for  it  was  twice  coasted  by  Hennepin,  and  the  relation  be 
tween  the  Niagara  and  St.  Clair  rivers  is  about  as  we  now 
find  it ;  but  instead  of  narrowing  the  lake  west  of  the  mouth 
of  Cuyahoga  river,  it  sheers  off  to  the  south,  making  a  broad 
angle  with  the  north  and  south  line  of  the  western  coast, 
which  is  represented  as  240  miles  long  ;  and  thus  full  one- 
third  of  what  is  now  the  State  of  Ohio  is  swallowed  up  by 
an  imaginary  sea,  or  an  imaginary  extension  of  an  actual  sea. 

Sandusky  Bay  and  River,  as  well  as  the  Maumee  River, 


ANCIENT   MAPS    OF   LAKE   ERIE.  53 

are  drawn  at  an  accurate  angle  to  the  southern  shore,  and 
rightly  placed  as  to  each  other,  yet  their  channels  run  from 
east  to  west,  as  indeed  might  be  expected  when  an  area  as 
large  as  Lake  Huron  is  dropped  so  unceremoniously  at  the 
entrance  of  the  strait  of  St.  Clair.  Between  these  streams 
is  found  the  only  reference  to  an  Indian  tribe  south  of  Lake 
Erie,  and  that  is  the  "  Erieckronois,"  probably  a  detachment 
of  the  unfortunate  Eries,  availing  themselves  of  the  protec 
tion  of  the  adjoining  Miami  and  Illinois  tribes.  As  Henne- 
pin's  first  publication  was  in  1683,  it  is  probable  that  this 
map  includes  tho  observations  and  traditions  made  and  col 
lected  by  him  in  1679-'81,  and  this  record  of  the  Eries 
twenty-five  years  after  the  disastrous  campaign  of  1655,  is 
an  additional  proof,  in  the  first  instance,  that  they  were  not 
exterminated  by  their  enemies  ;  and  secondly,  that  the  power 
of  the  Iroquois  had  been  previously  checked  on  the  Miami 
frontier. 

Father  Hennepin's  description  of  the  "  pretty  large  island 
towards  the  southwest,"  is  doubtless  a  modified  form  of  his 
previous  statement  that  the  lake  "  divides  itself  at  a  certain 
place  into  two  channels  because  of  a  great  island  enclosed 
betwixt  them."  In  both  cases,  (the  first  is  from  his  general 
description  of  Lake  Erie,  and  the  other  from  his  narration 
of  the  Griffin's  cruise,)  he  probably  refers  to  Point  Pelee 
Island,  which,  in  connection  with  Kelley's  Island,  would 
naturally  arrest  the  notice  of  the  explorer.  Cape  St.  Francis 
is  now  called  Long  Point,  and  the  two  other  capes  doubled 
in  the  westward  and  coastwise  progress  of  La  Salle's  party, 
must  have  been  Point  aux  Pines  or  Landguard  Point,  and 
Point  Pelee.  La  Hont^n,  in  his  later  map,  while  far  more 
accurate  than  Hennepin  in  his  outline  of  the  southern  coast 
of  Lake  Erie,  interrupts  his  northern  shore,  about  midway 


54  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

from  Niagara  to  St.  Clair,  by  a  projection  of  a  cape  or  pe 
ninsula  two- thirds  across  the  lake.  Hennepin  places  and 
delineates  Long  Point  with  reasonable  accuracy. 

We  have  mentioned  La  Hontan,  whom  we  have  had  occa 
sion  to  cite  elsewhere.  His  letters  include  the  period  of 
1683— '93,  and  are  racy  productions.  He  also  explored  Lake 
Erie.  Not  to  be  outdone  by  his  gray-coated  predecessor,  he 
describes  Niagara  as  "  seven  or  eight  hundred  foot  high  and 
half  a  league  broad."  After  entering  Lake  Erie,  his  party 
coasted  along  the  north  coast,  "  being  favored  by  the  calms," 
for  it  was  August,  1687.  "  Upon  the  brink  of  this  lake  (he 
says)  we  frequently  saw  flocks  of  fifty  or  sixty  Turkeys, 
which  run  incredibly  fast  upon  the  sands,  and  the  savages  of 
our  company  kill'd  great  numbers  of  'em,  which  they  gave 
to  us  in  exchange  for  the  fish  that  we  catched.  The  25th 
we  arrived  at  a  long  point  of  land  which  shoots  out  14  or  15 
leagues  into  the  Lake,  and  the  heat  being  excessive  we  chose 
to  transport  our  boats  and  baggage  two  hundred  paces  over 
land,  rather  than  coast  about  for  thirty-five  leagues."  On 
the  6th  of  September,  La  Hontan  entered  the  Straits  of  St. 
Clair,  and  pursued  his  western  route,  whither  we  will  not 
follow  him. 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE  FRENCH  ESTABLISH  FORT  SANDUSKY  — THE  ENGLISH  EX 
PLORE  THE  OHIO  VALLEY. 

WE  have  given  a  synopsis  of  French  discovery  in  the  west. 
These  explorations  were  promptly  followed  by  settlements. 
In  1701,  soon  after  the  peace  between  the  Iroquois  and  the 
French  in  Canada,  the  latter  effected  a  settlement  at  Detroit. 
The  party  that  first  took  possession  of  that  important  posi 
tion  were  De  la  Motte  Cadillac,  with  a  Jesuit  missionary  and 
one  hundred  Frenchmen.  The  fort,  which,  by  its  early  es 
tablishment,  made  Michigan  the  oldest  of  the  inland  States, 
except  perhaps  Illinois,  soon  became  the  centre  of  a  valuable 
trade  with  the  Indians,  and  the  Hurons  returned  to  its  vicin 
ity  from  their  fifty  years'  exile,  while  above,  in  Upper 
Canada,  was  a  colony  of  Ottawas.  Thence,  as  we  have 
shown,  these  tribes,  who  became  inseparable  companions, 
soon  extended  to  the  Sandusky  Basin,  where  they  were 
firmly  established  long  before  any  European  exploration  of 
the  country  south  of  Lake  Erie. 

At  New  Orleans  and  in  Illinois  were  the  principal  seats 
of  the  French  in  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  As  early  as 
1729,  the  settlers  in  the  vicinity  of  New  Orleans  amounted 
to  nearly  six  thousand,  although  a  third  of  that  number  were 
slaves  ;  while  on  the  Mississippi,  near  the  Illinois,  there  were 
in  1750,  five  French  villages,  containing  one  hundred  and 
forty  families,  and  three  villages  of  colonized  natives,  num 
bering  not  less  than  six  hundred. 

(55) 


56  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

Prior  to  1750,  the  communication  between  Canada  and 
Louisiana  was  carried  on  by  the  distant  routes  of  Green  Bay 
and  the  Wisconsin,  Lake  Michigan  and  the  Illinois,  and  more 
recently  by  the  Maumee  and  the  Wabash,  which  latter  river 
was  regarded  by  the  French  as  the  main  stream  to  which  the 
Ohio  was  but  a  tributary.  At  the  straits  of  Michillimacinac 
and  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Josephs  river,  at  the  head  of  Green 
Bay,  and  on  the  site  of  Fort  Wayne,  were  French  settle 
ments,  convenient  for  Indian  traffic  and  contributing  to  the 
armed  occupation  of  the  country.  There  is  some  doubt 
whether  Fort  Miamis  on  the  Maumee,  (now  Fort  Wayne,) 
was  founded  before  1750,  but  it  is  mentioned  by  Vaudrueil, 
then  Governor  of  Louisiana  and  afterwards  of  Canada,  as 
existing  in  1751.  Its  real  date  is  probably  contemporaneous 
with  Fort  Sandusky,  namely,  1750.  Detroit,  a  post  of  great 
importance,  had  been  occupied  since  1701. 

It  was  nearly  fifty  years  after  the  settlement  of  Detroit 
by  the  French,  that  the  attention  of  France  or  England  was 
turned  to  the  region  between  Lake  Erie  and  the  Ohio  River. 
Perhaps  its  dense  forests  repelled  the  luxurious  Gaul,  while 
the  savannahs  nearer  the  Mississippi  tempted  his  occupation. 
But  at  length  a  dispute  arose,  with  the  increasing  strength 
of  the  colonies,  about  the  respective  limits  of  the  Atlantic 
colonies  and  of  Louisiana.  Under  the  treaties  of  Utrecht 
and  Aix  la  Chapelle,  England  claimed  that  the  valley  of  the 
lakes  and  the  country  east  of  the  Mississippi  should  be  re 
cognized  as  an  Iroquois  conquest,  and  by  compact  with  those 
tribes,  as  under  the  protectorate  or  dominion  (in  our  days 
the  terms  are  yet  synonyms)  of  Great  Britain.  In  reply, 
France  cited  discovery  and  occupation — the  history  of  a 
hundred  years  of  missions,  expeditions  and  colonization.  The 
missions  had  declined,  but  the  Indian  trade  continued,  and 


THE   ENGLISH   EXPLORE    OHIO.  57 

their  posts,  planted  at  the  most  eligible  positions  from  Detroit 
to  New  Orleans,  were  regular  garrisons,  relieved  once  in  six 
years.  The  boats  from  the  Illinois  country,  descending 
annually  to  New  Orleans,  carried  flour,  Indian  corn,  bacon, 
both  of  hog  and  bear,  beef  and  pork,  buffalo  robes,  hides 
and  tallow.  The  downward  voyage  was  made  in  December ; 
in  February  the  boat  returned  with  European  goods  for  con 
sumption  and  Indian  traffic.1  The  Northwestern  Indians 
were  almost  universally  in  the  French  interest.  As  respected 
the  country  on  the  upper  lakes,  the  Mississippi,  the  Illinois, 
and  the  Wabash,  the  French  title,  according  to  European 
usage,  was  complete.  To  forestall  the  English  pretensions  to 
the  country  immediately  south  of  Lake  Erie,  the  Count  de  la 
Galissormiere,  shortly  after  assuming  office  as  Governor  Gen 
eral  of  Canada,  sent  Monsieur  Celeron  de  Bienville,  in  1749, 
with  three  hundred  men,  to  traverse  the  country  from  De 
troit  east  to  the  mountains,  to  bury  at  the  most  important 
points,  leaden  plates  with  the  arms  of  France  engraved,  to 
take  possession  with  a  formal  process  verbal,  and  to  warn 
the  English  traders  out  of  the  country.2 

As  will  more  fully  appear  in  the  sequel,  the  French,  in 
the  winter  of  1750-'51,  followed  their  formal  claim  to  the 
territory  between  Lake  Erie  and  the  Ohio,  which  the  explo 
ring  party  of  Celeron  de  Bienville  had  reasserted,  by  taking 
actual  occupation  of  the  northern  frontier.  This  was  done 
by  founding  a  fort  and  trading  station  at  Sandusky. 

Meanwhile,  the  English  colonies  of  Pennsylvania  and  Vir 
ginia,  deeply  interested  in  the  trade  and  pacification  of  the 
Ohio  Indians,  no  less  than  in  the  political  questions  at  issue, 
were  far  from  inactive.  One  George  Croghan,  an  English 

1)  Hildrcth's  History  United  States,  II,  434. 

2)  See  Appendix,  No.  II. 


58  1IISTORY   Ol1   OHIO. 

trader,  was  also  an  envoy  from  the  Government  of  Pennsyl 
vania — distributing,  on  one  occasion,  goods  to  the  value  of  a 
thousand  pistoles  among  the  Indians  settled  on  the  Ohio  and 
Miami  rivers.  Licenses  to  trade  with  the  Indian  tribes 
even  to  the  Mississippi,  were  also  granted  by  the  Governor 
of  Pennsylvania.3  As  early  as  June,  1744,  the  colonies  of 
Pennsylvania,  Virginia  and  Maryland,  went  through  another 
ceremonial  of  receiving  from  a  deputation  of  Iroquois,  at 
Lancaster,  "  a  deed  recognizing  the  King's  right  to  all  lands 
beyond  the  mountains"  Still  stimulated  by  a  sense  of  dan 
ger  from  the  French  and  their  Indian  allies,  Pennsylvania, 
at  the  instigation  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  organized  her  militia. 
We  have  now  reached,  in  order  of  time,  the  organization 
of  the  Ohio  Land  Company  of  1748,  the  exploration  of  Chris 
topher  Gist,  and  our  first  item  of  circumstantial  evidence  as 
to  the  period  when  Fort  Sandusky  was  built  and  occupied  by 
the  French.  In  1748,  Thomas  Lee,  with  twelve  other  Vir 
ginians,  among  whom  were  Lawrence  and  Augustine,  brothers 
of  George  Washington,  and  also  Mr.  Hanbury,  of  London, 
formed  an  association  which  was  called  the  "  Ohio  Company," 
and  petitioned  the  King  for  a  grant  of  lands  beyond  the 
mountains.  This  petition  was  approved  by  the  monarch,  and 
the  government  of  Virginia  was  ordered  to  grant  the  petition 
ers  half  a  million  of  acres  within  the  bounds  of  that  colony, 
beyond  the  Alleghanies,  two  hundred  thousand  of  which  were 
to  be  located  at  once.  This  portion  was  to  be  held  for  ten 
years  free  of  quit-rent, .  provided  the  company  would  put 
there  one  hundred  families  within  seven  years,  and  build  a 

3)  In  1749,  La  Jonquiere,  the  governor  of  Canada,  learned  to  his  great 
indignation,  that  several  English  traders  had  reached  Sandusky,  and  were 
exerting  a  bad  influence  upon  the  Indians  of  that  quarter ;  a'nd  two  years 
later  he  caused  four  of  the  intruders  to  be  seized  near  the  Ohio  and  sent 
prisoners  to  Canada." — Parkmari's  Pontiac,  64. 


EXPEDITION   OF   CHRISTOPHER  GIST,  59 

fort  sufficient  to  protect  the  settlement;  all  of  which  the 
company  proposed,  and  prepared  to  do  at  once,  and  sent  to 
London  for  a  cargo  suited' to  the  Indian  trade,  which  was  to 
come  out  so  as  to  arrive  in  November,  1749.  This  grant 
was  to  be  taken  principally  on  the  south  side  of  the  Ohio 
river,  between  the  Monongahela  and  Kanawha  rivers.4 

In  the  autumn  of  1750,  the  agents  of  the  Ohio  Company 
employed  Christopher  Gist,  a  land  surveyor  and  familiar  with 
the  woods,  to  explore  their  contemplated  possessions  on  the 
Ohio  River,  as  well  as  the  adjacent  country.  He  kept  a  jour 
nal  of  his  proceedings,  which  was  published,  and  is  entitled : 
"  A  journal  of  Christopher  Gist's  journey,  began  from  Colonel 
Cresap's,  at  the  old  town  on  the  Potomac  River,  Maryland, 
October  31,  1750,  continued  down  the  Ohio  within  fifteen 
miles  of  the  falls  thereof;  and  from  thence  toRoanoke  River 
in  North  Carolina,  where  he  arrived  in  May,  1751. "5  Mr. 
Craig,  in  his  notes  on  the  early  history  of  Pittsburgh,  thinks, 
from  what  he  can  ascertain,  that  he  ascended  the  Juniata, 
after  crossing  over  from  the  Potomac,  and  descended  the 
Kiskeminetas  to  the  Alleghany,  which  stream  he  crossed  about 
four  miles  above  Pittsburgh,  and  passed  on  to  the  Ohio. 
From  the  mouth  of  Beaver  creek  he  passed  over  to  the  Tus- 
carawas,  or  Muskingum  River,  called  by  him  and  by  the  In 
dians  Elk  Eye  creek ;  striking  it  on  the  5th  of  December,  or 
thirty-five  days  after  leaving  the  Potomac,  at  a  point  about 
fifty  miles  above  the  present  town  of  Coshoeton,  probably 
within  the  county  of  Stark.  On  the  7th,  he  crossed  over 
the  Elk  Eye  to  a  small  village  of  Ottawas,  who  were  in  the 
French  interest.  He  speaks  of  the  land  as  broken,  and  the 

4)  Perkins'  Writings,  ii,  191.    Sparks'  Washington,  ii,478. 

5)  S.  P.  Hildreth's  Pioneer  History,  26— a  valuable  publication  of  the  Ohio 

Historical  Society. 


60  HISTORY  or  oiiio. 

bottoms  rather  narrow  on  this  stream.  On  the  14th  Decem 
ber  he  reached  an  Indian  town,  a  few  miles  above  the  mouth 
of  Whitewoman  creek,  called  Muskingum,  inhabited  by  Wy- 
anclots,  who,  he  says,  are  half  of  them  attached  to  the  French 
and  half  to  the  English,  containing  about  one  hundred  families. 
"  When  we  came  in  sight  of  it,  we  perceived  English  colors 
hoisted  on  the  King's  house  and  at  George  Croghan's.  Upon 
inquiring  the  reason,  I  was  informed  that  the  French  had 
lately  taken  several  English  traders,  and  that  Mr.  Croghan 
had  ordered  all  the  white  men  to  come  into  this  town,  and 
had  sent  expresses  to  the  traders  of  the  lower  towns,  and 
among  the  Piquatiners,  and  that  the  Indians  had  sent  to  their 
people  to  come  to  council  about  it." 

From  this  passage,  it  is  evident  that  the  Pennsylvania 
traders  had  traversed  the  Indian  villages,  and  obtained  the 
good  will  of  their  inhabitants  in  a  considerable  degree. 
George  Croghan  was  apparently  at  the  head  of  a  trading 
party,  and  he  and  Andrew  Montour  accompanied  Gist  in  his 
further  exploration.  The  latter,  who  acted  as  interpreter, 
and  was  influential  among  the  Delawares  and  Shawanese, 
was  a  son  of  the  famous  Canadian  half  breed,  Catharine 
Montour,  whose  residence  was  at  the  head  of  Seneca  Lake, 
in  New  York.6  Catharine  had  two  sons,  Andrew  and  Henry, 

6)  Of  this  woman  W.  L.  Stone  (Life  of  Brant,  i,  340)  says:  "She  was  a 
native  of  Canada,  a  half-breed,  her  father  having  been  one  of  the  early 
French  governors — probably  Count  Frontcnac,  as  he  must  have  been  in  the 
government  of  that  country  at  about  the  time  of  her  birth.  During  the  wars 
between  the  Six  Nations  and  the  French  and  Hurons,  Catharine,  when 
about  ten  years  of  age,  was  made  a  captive,  taken  into  the  Seneca  country, 
adopted  and  reared  as  one  of  their  own  children.  When  arrived  at  a  suit 
able  age,  she  was  married  to  one  of  the  distinguished  chiefs  of  her  tribe, 
who  signalized  himself  in  the  wars  of  the  Six  Nations  against  the  Catawbas, 
then  a  great  nation  living  southwestward  of  Virginia.  She  had  several 
children  by  this  chieftain,  who  fell  in  battle  about  the  year  1750,  after  which 
she  did  not  marry  again.  She  is  said  to  have  been  a  handsome  woman  when 


FRENCH  FORTS  ON  LAKE  ERIE.  61 

who  were  three-fourths  of  Indian  blood.  The  late  James  H. 
Perkins  supposed  that  the  companion  of  Gist  was  Henry,  who 
was  a  chief  among  the  Six  Nations,  and  says  that  Andrew 
had  been  taken  by  the  French  in  1749.  But  Gist  gives  the 
name  of  his  interpreter  and  companion  as  "  Andrew,"  and  it 
is  unreasonable  to  suppose  him  mistaken.  It  is  more  likely 
that  Andrew  Montour  had  escaped  from  his  Canadian  captors, 
and  was  ready  to  make  reprisals  on  them.  Besides  Croghan 
and  Montour,  Gist  was  accompanied  by  Robert  Kalender 
during  the  latter  portion  of  his  journey.  We  resume  the 
diary  of  Gist  : 

"  Monday,  17th  December,  1750.  Two  traders  belonging 
to  Mr.  Croghan  came  into  town  and  informed  us  that  two  of 
his  people  had  been  taken  by  forty  Frenchmen  and  twenty 
Indians,  who  had  carried  them  with  seven  horse  loads  of 
skins  to  a  new  fort  the  French  were  building  on  one  of  the 
branches  of  Lake  Erie" 

This  we  claim  to  have  been  Fort  Sandusky.  Bancroft 
recognizes  no  doubt  on  the  point,  but  quotes  Gist  as  stating 
that  the  captives  were  "  carried  to  the  new  fort  at  Sandusky  "i 
There  was  certainly  no  other  fort  or  station  on  any  branch  of 
Lake  Erie  at  the  close  of  1750.  Two  years  afterwards,  or 
early  in  1753,  twelve  hundred  men  from  Montreal  built  a 
fort  at  Presque  Isle,  now  Erie,  and  crossing  thence  to  the 

young,  genteel,  and  of  polite  address,  notwithstanding  her  Indian  associa 
tions.  It  was  frequently  her  lot  to  accompany  the  chiefs  of  the  Six  Nations 
to  Philadelphia,  and  other  places  in  Pennsylvania,  where  treaties  wore  holden; 
and,  from  her  character  and  manners,  she  was  greatly  caressed  by  the  Ameri 
can  ladies — particularly  in  Philadelphia,  where  she  was  invited  by  the  ladies 
of  the  best  circles,  and  entertained  at  their  houses.  Her  residence  was  at 
the  head  of  Seneca  Lake."  This  account  is  mostly  derived  from  Witham 
Marshe's  Journal  of  a  Treaty  with  the  Six  Nations,  held  at  Lancaster  in  1744, 
where  Madame  Montour  (as  Marshe  calls  her)  was. 
7)  History  of  the  United  States,  iv.  77. 


62  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

waters  flowing  south,  they  established  posts  at  La  Boeuf  and 
Venango,  the  one  on  French  creek,  the  other  on  the  main 
stream  of  the  Alleghany.  All  accounts  concur  in  fixing  this 
date  for  the  posts  at  Erie,  Waterford  and  Venango.  Du 
Quesne,  afterwards  Fort  Pitt  and  now  Pittsburgh,  was  occu 
pied  in  1754.  It  is  true  that  Niagara  and  Detroit  com 
manded  the  extremities  of  Lake  Erie,  but  in  1750-1,  the  only 
French  fort  on  a  branch  of  the  lake  was  Sandusky.  This 
will  appear  more  distinctly  as  we  proceed  with  Gist's  diary. 

"  Tuesday,  18th  December.  I  acquainted  Mr.  Croghan 
and  Mr.  Montour  with  my  business  with  the  Indians,  and 
talked  much  of  a  regulation  of  trade,  with  which  they  were 
pleased,  and  treated  me  well." 

"  Tuesday,  25th.  This  being  Christmas  day,  I  intended 
to  read  prayers,  but  after  inviting  some  of  the  white  men, 
they  informed  each  other  of  my  intentions,  and  being  of  sev 
eral  persuasions  and  few  of  them  inclined  to  hear  any  good, 
they  refused  to  come  ;  but  one  Thomas  Barney,  a  blacksmith, 
who  is  settled  there,  went  about  and  talked  to  them,  and 
then  several  of  the  well  disposed  Indians  came  freely,  being 
invited  by  Andrew  Montour."  Mr.  Gist  delivered  a  dis 
course,  which  was  interpreted  to-  the  Indians,  and  read  the 
English  church  service.  He  then  says  :  "  The  Indians  seem 
to  be  well  pleased,  and  came  up  to  me  and  returned  me  their 
thanks  and  then  invited  me  to  live  among  them,"  &c. 

"Friday,  4th  January,  1751.  One  Taaf,  an  Indian 
trader,  came  to  town  from  near  Lake  Erie,  and  informed  us 
that  the  "Wyandots  had  advised  him  to  keep  clear  of  the  Otta- 
was,  (a  nation  firmly  attached  to  the  French,  living  near  the 
lakes,)  and  told  him  that  the  branches  of  the  lakes  were 
claimed  by  the  French,  but  that  all  the  branches  of  the  Ohio 
belonged  to  them  and  their  brothers,  the  English,  and  that  the 


GIST'S   OHIO  DIARY,  68 

French  had  no  business  there,  and  that  it  was  expected  that 
the  other  part  of  the  Wyandots  would  desert  the  French  and 
come  over  to  the  English  interest,  and  join  their  brethren  on 
the  Elk  Eye  creek,  and  build  a  strong  fort  and  town  there." 

"  Wednesday,  9th.  This  day  came  into  town  two  traders 
from  among  the  Piquatiners  (a  tribe  of  the  Tawightees)  and 
brought  news  that  another  English  trader  was  taken  pris 
oner  by  the  French,  and  that  three  French  soldiers  had 
deserted  and  come  over  to  the  English,  and  surrendered 
themselves  to  some  of  the  traders  of  the  Picktown,  and  that 
the  Indians  would  have  put  them  to  death  to  revenge  the 
taking  of  our  traders ;  but  as  the  French  had  surrendered 
themselves  to  the  English,  they  would  not  let  the  Indians 
hurt  them,  but  had  ordered  them  to  be  sent  under  the  care 
of  three  of  our  traders,  and  delivered  at  this  town  to  George 
Croghan." 

"  Saturday,  12th.  Proposed  a  council — postponed — Indi 
ans  drunk. 

"  Monday,  14th.  This  day  George  Croghan,  by  the 
assistance  of  Andrew  Montour,  acquainted  the  King  and 
council  of  this  nation  (presenting  them  with  four  strings  of 
wampum)  that  their  Roggony  [father]  had  sent,  under 
care  of  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  their  brother,  a  large 
present  of  goods,  which  were  now  safe  landed  in  Virginia, 
and  that  the  governor  had  sent  me  to  invite  them  to  come 
and  see  him,  and  partake  of  their  father's  charity  to  all  his 
children  on  the  branches  of  the  Ohio.  In  answer  to  which, 
one  of  the  chiefs  stood  up  and  said  that  their  King  and  all  of 
them  thanked  their  brother,  the  governor  of  Virginia,  for  his 
care,  and  me  for  bringing  them  the  news;  but  that  they 
could  not  give  an  answer  until  they  had  a  full  and  general 
council  of  the  several  nations  of  Indians,  which  could  not  be 


64  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

until  next  spring ;  and  so  the  king  and  council  shaking  hands 
with  us,  we  took  our  leave." 

"  Tuesday,  15th.  We  left  Muskingum  and  went  west  five 
miles  to  the  White  Woman's  creek,  on  which  is  a  small  town. 
This  white  woman  was  taken  away  from  New  England,  when 
she  was  not  above  ten  years  old  by  the  French  Indians.  She 
is  now  upwards  of  fifty — has  an  Indian  husband  and  several 
children.  Her  name  is  Mary  Harris.  She  still  remembers 
they  used  to  be  very  religious  in  New  England ;  and  won 
ders  how  the  white  men  can  be  so  wicked  as  she  has  seen 
them  in  the  woods." 

Having  crossed  the  Licking  and  Hockhocking,  Gist  de 
scended  the  east  bank  of  the  Scioto,  was  favorably  received 
at  several  Delaware  villages,  and  estimated  the  strength  of 
the  tribe  at  about  five  hundred  fighting  men.8  On  the  28th, 
he  reached  Shawnee  town,  "situated  on  both  sides  of  the 
Ohio,  just  below  the  mouth  of  Scioto  creek,  and  containing 
about  three  hundred  men.  There  were  about  forty  houses 
on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  and  about  a  hundred  on  the 
north  side,  with  a  kind  of  state  house,  about  ninety  feet  long, 
with  a  tight  cover  of  bark  in  which  councils  were  held." 

Thence  on  the  12th  of  February,  the  party  as  before  enu 
merated,  crossed  to  the  Great  Miami,  and  were  received  at 
the  Tawightwi  town,  which  was  on  the  northwest  side  of  the 
river,  and  consisted  of  about  four  hundred  families.  The 
Tawightwi,  or  Miami  Indians,  are  described  as  a  numerous 
people,  consisting  of  many  different  tribes,  under  the  same 
form  of  government.  A  chief  of  the  confederacy  was  chosen 
indifferently  from  the  tribes,  and  at  this  time,  was  the  king  of 
the  Piankeshaws.  Gist  was  kindly  received,  and  notwith 
standing  four  Ottawas  were  present  as  envoys  from  the 
8)  See  Appendix,  No.  III. 


GIST'S    CONFERENCE   WITH   THE   MIAMItf.  «>5 

French,  with  tempting  presents  arid  offers  of  renewals  of 
friendship,  the  latter  were  rejected,  and  the  powerful  Miainis 
gave  the  English  envoy  a  promise  to  meet  the  Virginia  com 
missioners  at  Logstown,  seventeen  miles  below  Pittsburg,  for 
a  general  treaty.  The  scene  of  this  interview  was  probably 
at  the  mouth  of  Loramies  Creek,  or  just  above  Piqua. 

The  king  of  the  Piankeshaws,  setting  up  the  English  col 
ors  in  the  council,  as  well  as  the  French,  rose  and  replied  to 
the  overtures  of  the  Ottawa  messengers.  "The  path  to  the 
French  is  bloody,  and  was  made  so  by  them.  We  have 
cleared  a  road  for  our  brothers,  the  English,  and  your 
fathers  have  made  it  foul,  and  have  taken  some  of  our  broth 
ers  prisoners."  "This,"  added  the  king,  "we  look  upon  as 
done  to  us,"  and  turning  suddenly  from  them,  he  strode  out 
of  the  council.  At  this  the  representative  of  the  French,  an 
Ottawa,  wept  and  howled,  predicting  sorrow  for  the  Miarnis. 

To  the  English,  the  Weas  and  Piankeshaws,  after  delib 
eration,  sent  a  speech  by  the  great  orator  of  the  Weas. 
"  You  have  taken  us  by  the  hand,"  were  his  words,  "  into  the 
great  chain  of  friendship.  Therefore  we  present  you  with 
these  two  bundles  of  skins  to  make  shoes  for  your  people, 
and  this  pipe  to  smoke  in,  to  assure  you  our  hearts  are  good 
towards  you,  our  brothers." 

In  the  presence  of  the  Ottawa  ambassadors,  the  great  war 
chief  of  the  Picqua  stood  up,  and  summoning  in  imagination 
the  French  to  be  present,  he  spoke — 

"Fathers!  you  have  desired  we  should  go  home  to  you, 
but  I  tell  you  it  is  not  our  home ;  for  we  have  made  a  path 
to  the  sun  rising,  and  have  been  taken  by  the  hand  by  our 
brothers,  the  English,  the  Six  Nations,  the  Delawares,  the 
Shawanese,  and  the  Wyandots ;  and  we  assure  you  in  that 

road  we  will  go.     And  as  you  threaten  us  with  war  in  the 

3* 


66  HISTORY  or  OHIO. 

spring,  we  tell  you,  if  you  are  angry,  we  are  ready  to  receive 
you,  and  resolve  to  die  here,  before  we  will  go  to  you.  That 
you  may  know  this  to  be  our  mind,  we  send  you  this  string 
of  black  wampum. 

"Brothers,  the  Ottawas,  you  hear  what  I  say,  tell  that  to 
your  fathers,  the  French,  for  that  is  our  mind,  and  we  speak 
it  from  our  hearts. " 

"  The  French  colors  are  taken  down,"  adds  Bancroft,  "  and 
the  Ottawas  are  dismissed  to  the  French  fort  of  Sandusky"* 

On  the  1st  of  March,  Gist  left  on  his  return  by  the  falls 
of  Ohio,  and  through  the  Cumberland  mountains,  to  North 
Carolina;  but  in  April,  1751,  the  Miami  chiefs  were  revisited 
by  Croghan,  with  similar  results,  as  narrated  in  his  published 
journal. 

The  Shawanese,  found  by  Gist  at  the  mouth  of  the  Scioto, 
were  lately  returned  from  their  southern  wanderings,  but  as 
the  scattered  portions  of  the  tribe  came  to  Ohio,  they  estab 
lished  themselves  higher  up  the  stream  and  on  the  waters  of 
the  Miami,  building  several  towns. 

Having  thus  generally  examined  the  land  upon  the  Ohio, 
in  November  Gist  commenced  a  thorough  survey  of  the  tract 
south  of  the  Ohio,  and  east  of  the  Kanawha,  granted  to  the 
Ohio  Company,  and  spent  the  winter  in  that  labor. 

Early  in  1752,  a  settlement  of  English  traders  was 
attempted  on  the  Great  Miami,  at  the  mouth  of  Loramie's 
Creek.  A  party  of  French  soldiers  having  heard  of  it,  came 
to  the  Twigtwees  or  Miamis,  and  demanded  the  traders  as 
intruders.  The  Indians  refused — the  trading  house  was 
destroyed — fourteen  natives  killed,  and  the  traders  were 
carried  into  Canada,  and  some  of  them,  according  to  one 
account,  burned  alive.  This  fort  or  trading  house,  was 

9)  History  of  the  United  States,  iv.  81. 


ENGLISH    EXPLORATIONS.  67 

called  by  the  English  writers  Pickawillany.  These  traders 
were  probably  Pennsylvanians,  for  that  State  made  a  gift  of 
condolence  to  the  Twigtwees  for  those  slain  in  their  defence.10 

On  the  9th  June,  1752,  Messrs.  Fry,  Lomax  and  Patton, 
Virginia  Commissioners,  met  the  Indians  at  Logstown,  four 
teen  miles  below  Pittsburg,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Ohio, 
which  had  long  been  a  trading  point,  but  had  been  abandoned 
by  the  Indians  in  1750.  Gist  appeared  as  agent  for  the 
Ohio  Company.  The  Commissioners  urged  a  confirmation  of 
the  treaty  of  Lancaster.  The  Indians  claimed  that  the 
treaty  at  Lancaster  did  not  cede  any  lands  west  of  the  war 
rior's  road,  which  ran  at  the  foot  of  the  Alleghany  ridge. 
Two  old  chiefs  asked  Mr.  Gist  where  the  Indians'  land  lay — 
for  the  French  claimed  all  the  land  on  one  side  of  the  Ohio 
river,  and  the  English  on  the  other  ?  Mr.  Gist  found  the 
question  difficult  to  answer.  "  However,"  said  the  savages, 
"  as  the  French  have  already  struck  the  Twigtwees,  we  shall 
be  pleased  to  have  your  assistance  and  protection,  and  wish 
you  would  build  a  fort  at  once  at  the  Fork  of  the  Ohio." 
The  Virginians  asked  much  more,  and  at  length,  by  bribing 
one  of  the  Montours  to  exert  his  influence,  induced  the 
Indians  to  sign  a  deed,  confirming  the  Lancaster  treaty  in 
its  full  extent,  consenting  to  a  settlement  southeast  of  the 
Ohio,  and  guarantying  that  it  should  not  be  disturbed  by 
them. 

Hildreth  says  in  1752,  "  a  band  of  the  Miamis,  or  Twig 
twees,  as  the  English  called  them,  settled  at  Sandusky, 

10)  This  was  in  May,  1753.  The  present  to  the  Miamis  was  two  hundred 
pounds,  besides  a  grant  of  six  hundred  pounds  for  general  distribution 
among  the  tribes;  but  so  great  was  the  apprehension  of  the  French,  that 
the  money  probably  was  not  sent,  though  Conrad  Weiscr  was  dispatched 
as  a  messenger  in  August  to  learn  how  things  stood.  Sparks'  Franklin,  iii2 
219;  IV.  A.  Review,  xlix,  83. 


68  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

having  refused  to  remove  to  Detroit,  and  persisting  in  trade 
with  the  English,  their  village  was  burned,  the  English  tra 
ders  were  seized,  and  their  merchandize  confiscated."11 
This  is  probably  an  inaccurate  version  of  the  affair  at  Lora- 
mies  or  Pickawillany. 

Early  in  1753,  Gist  had  established  a  plantation  near  the 
Youghiogany,  west  of  Laurel  Hill,  consisting  of  eleven  fami 
lies,  but  his  purpose  to  lay  off  a  town  and  fort  near  the 
mouth  of  Char  tier's  creek,  about  two  miles  below  the  Fork, 
on  the  southeast  side  of  the  river,  was  relinquished. 

In  the  summer  and  fall  of  1753,  the  French  landed  at 
Erie,  and  planted  their  garrisons  at  Presq'  Isle,  Le  Boeuf 
and  Venango. 

In  November  of  the  same  year,  George  Washington,  as 
the  envoy  of  Virginia,  had  his  unsatisfactory  interview  of 
remonstrance  with  the  French  commandant. 

11)  History  of  the  United  States,  by  Richard  Hildrcth,  II,  436. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  ASCENDANCY  OF  FRANCE  UPON  THE  OHIO. 

THE  year  1754  may  be  indicated  as  the  period  when  the 
favorable  sentiments  which  Croghan  and  Gist  had  ascertained 
and  cultivated  among  the  Ohio  Indians,  began  to  change  to 
hostility.  It  was  a  year  of  French  activity  and  English 
folly.  The  colonies  were  alarmed,  but  inefficient  and  parsi 
monious  ;  while  the  French  labored  zealously  to  conciliate 
the  Indians  by  gifts  and  flatteries.  The  envoys  of  the  latter 
did  not  alarm  the  savages  by  any  demands — their  only  object 
was  to  conciliate  good  will.  "During  the  autumn  of  1754," 
says  Perkins,  "the  pleasant  Frenchmen  were  securing  the 
west  step  by  step  ;  settling  Yincennes,  gallanting  with  the 
Delawares,  and  coquetting  with  the  Iroquois,  who  still  bal 
anced  between  them  and  the  English.  The  forests  along  the 
Ohio  shed  their  leaves,  and  the  prairies  filled  the  sky  with 
the  smoke  of  their  burning  ;  and  along  the  great  rivers,  and 
on  the  lakes,  and  amid  the  pathless  woods  of  the  west,  no 
European  was  seen  whose  tongue  spoke  other  language  than 
that  of  France."1 

On  the  other  hand,  the  infatuation  of  the  colonists  in  seek 
ing  a  grant  of  extensive  tracts,  occupied  by  Ohio  Indians, 
from  the  Iroquois — the  increasing  numbers  and  influence  of 
the  Shawanese,  who  were  the  hereditary  enemies  of  the 
English,  and  whose  professions  otherwise  to  Gist  were  proba 
bly  hypocritical  or  mercenary — the  failure  of  the  colonies  to 

1)  Perkins'  Writings,  ii,  280. 
(69) 


70  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

continue  their  donations  to  the  western  Indians,  while  French 
emissaries  swarmed  in  every  village,  with  gifts  of  trinkets 
and  exchanges  of  ammunition  and  ardent  spirits  ;  and  finally 
the  evidences  of  French  activity  and  strength  afforded  by  the 
erection  of  forts  at  Sandusky,  Vincennes,  Miamis,  Presque 
Isle,  Du  Quesne,  &c. — all  these  circumstances  conspired  to 
alienate  even  the  Delawares  and  Miamis  from  the  English, 
and  to  make  all  the  tribes  either  allies  or  acquiescent  specta 
tors  of  the  French  inroad.  The  main  body  of  the  Wyandots, 
and  the  Ottawas,  without  exception,  became  the  active  allies 
of  the  French. 

Perhaps  no  one  was  more  keenly  sensitive  to  the  approach 
ing  danger,  and  more  sagacious  in  devising  means  to  avert 
it,  than  Benjamin  Franklin.  He  was  the  life  and  soul  of 
the  Albany  Congress  of  1754,  which  was  summoned  to 
promote  the  common  defence  and  general  welfare  of  the  col 
onies,  and  his  writings  reflect  vividly  the  weakness  of  the 
English  counsels  as  contrasted  with  his  clear  perception  of 
the  exigencies  of  the  crisis.  No  western  annalist  should 
omit  a  cordial  recognition  of  Franklin's  timely  and  valuable 
suggestions  on  the  eve  of  that  momentous  struggle  which 
terminated  French  dominion  upon  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the 
Ohio. 

As  is  well  known,  the  Albany  Convention  of  1754,  re 
sulted  in  a  plan  of  union,  drawn  by  the  sagacious  Franklin, 
which  was  deemed  too  loyal  to  the  crown  by  the  colonies, 
and  too  democratic  by  the  Court  of  England,  and  therefore 
was  universally  rejected.  There  were  present  delegates 
from  New  Hampshire,  Ehode  Island,  Connecticut,  New  York, 
Pennsylvania  and  Maryland.  The  Six  Nations  were  also 
represented  by  Hendrick,  the  Mohawk  Sachem,  and  certainly 
no  one  was  more  capable  than  an  Iroquois  chieftain  to  im- 


FRANKLIN   UPON  COLONIAL  UNION.  71 

press  upon  the  delegates  the  necessity  of  union.  The  policy 
of  a  confederacy  had  been  the  secret  of  the  strength  of  the 
Five  Nations,  and  it  was  a  remarkable  incident  at  the  council 
of  Lancaster,  in  1744,  that  a  recommendation  of  Union 
came  from  Cannastego,  one  of  their  orators.  At  the  session 
of  the  FOURTH  OF  JULY,  of  that  year,  the  eloquent  Onon- 
daga  warrior  used  this  language  : 

"  We  have  one  thing  further  to  say,  and  that  is,  we  hear 
tily  recommend  union  and  good  agreement  between  you  and 
your  brethren.  Never  disagree,  but  preserve  a  strict  friend 
ship  for  each  other,  and  thereby  you,  as  well  as  we,  will  be 
come  the  stronger. 

"  Our  wise  forefathers  established  union  and  amity  between 
the  Five  Nations ;  this  has  made  us  formidable  :  this  has 
given  us  great  weight  and  authority  with  our  neighboring  na 
tions.  We  are  a  powerful  confederacy  ;  and  by  your  observ 
ing  the  same  methods  which  our  wise  forefathers  have  taken, 
you  will  acquire  fresh  strength  and  power ;  therefore,  what 
soever  befalls  you,  never  fall  out  with  each  other." 

There  are  evidences  that  Franklin's  thoughts  had  been  for 
some  time  turned  to  a  union  of  the  colonies.  He  had  thrown 
out  hints  to  that  effect  in  his  newspaper.  The  Pennsylvania 
G-azette  for  May  9, 1754,  contains  an  account  of  the  capture 
by  the  French  of  Captain  Trent's  party,  who  were  erecting 
a  fort  (afterwards  Fort  Du  Quesne)  at  the  fork  of  the  Ohio. 
The  article  was  undoubtedly  written  by  the  editor.  After 
narrating  the  particulars  and  urging  union  to  resist  aggres 
sion,  he  adds :  "  The  confidence  of  the  French  in  this  under 
taking  seems  well  grounded  in  the  present  disunited  state  of 
the  British  colonies,  and  the  extreme  difficulty  of  bringing  so 
many  different  governments  and  assemblies  to  agree  in  any 
speedy  and  effectual  measures  for  our  common  defence  and 


72  HISTORY  OF  ouio. 

security  ;  while  our  enemies  have  the  very  great  advantage 
of  being  under  one  direction,  with  one  council  and  one 
purse."  At  the  end  of  the  article  is  a  wood  cut,  in  which 
is  the  figure  of  a  snake,  separated  into  parts,  to  each  of  which 
is  affixed  the  initial  of  one  of  the  colonies,  and  at  the  bottom, 
in  larger  capitals,  the  motto,  "  JOIN  OR  DIE."  It  is  well 
known  that  this  device  was  adopted  with  considerable  effect 
at  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution.  In  some  of  the  news 
papers  of  that  day,  the  mutilated  snake  makes  a  conspicuous 
head-piece,  running  across  the  page,  and  accompanied  by 
the  same  significant  motto.2 

Not  discouraged  by  the  Albany  failure,  Franklin  persisted 
in  devising  other  measures  of  relief  for  the  colonial  crisis. 
He  brought  forward  his  "Plan  for  settling  two  Western  Col 
onies  in  North  America,  with  reasons  for  the  plan,"  dated 
1754,  and  probably  written  shortly  after  the  Albany  Conven 
tion  of  that  year.  One  of  these  barrier  colonies  was  to 
guard  the  Niagara  frontier,  and  the  other  to  occupy  the 
northern  bank  of  the  Ohio.  This  was  to  be  done  by  organ 
izing  a  joint  stock,  one  share  of  which,  calling  for  a  blank 
number  of  acres,  was  to  be  transferred  to  every  settler  or 
subscriber  of  a  given  amount  of  money — by  which  he  antici 
pated  that  sufficient  men  and  means  would  be  collected, 
"provided  only,"  added  the  shrewd  Franklin,  "that  the 
crown  would  be  at  the  expense  of  removing  the  little  forts 
the  French  have  erected  in  their  encroachments  on  his  Ma 
jesty's  territories,  and  supporting  a  strong  one  near  the  Falls 
of  Niagara,  with  a  few  small  armed  vessels,  or  half-galleys 
to  cruise  on  the  lakes." 

For  the  security  of  the  Lake  Colony  in  its  infancy,  he 
proposed  a  temporary  fort  on  French  Creek,  the  principal 

2)  Sparks'  Franklin,  iii,  25. 


FRANKLIN'S  PLAN  OF  BORDER  COLONIES.  73 

branch  of  the  Alleghany  River,  but  which  Franklin  calls 
"  Buffalo  creek  of  the  Ohio,"  and  "  another  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Tioga,  on  the  south  side  of  Lake  Erie,  where  a  port 
should  be  formed  and  a  town  erected  for  the  trade  of  the 
lakes."  I  presume  that  "  Tioga"  was  intended  for  Cuya- 
hoga,  for  he  immediately  adds,  that  "  the  colonists  for  this 
settlement  might  march  by  land  through  Pennsylvania." 

The  next  paragraph  contains  an  allusion  to  Fort  Sandusky, 
which  demonstrates  that  it  was  founded  before  1754  at  least. 

"  The  river  Scioto,  which  runs  into  the  Ohio  about  two 
hundred  miles  below  Logstown,  is  supposed  the  fittest  scat 
of  the  other  colony  ;  there  being  for  forty  miles  on  each  side 
of  it,  and  quite  up  to  its  head,  a  body  of  all  rich  land :  the 
finest  spot  of  its  bigness  in  all  North  America,  and  has  the 
particular  advantage  of  sea-coal  in  plenty  (even  above  ground 
in  two  places,)  for  fuel,  when  the  wood  shall  be  destroyed. 
This  colony  would  have  the  trade  of  the  Miamis  or  Twigh- 
twees  ;  and  should,  at  first,  have  a  small  fort  near  Hochockin, 
at  the  head  of  the  river,  and  another  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Wabash.  Sandusky,  (in  the  earliest  edition  of  Franklin's 
Works  written  Sanduskij)  a  French  Fort  near  the  Lake 
Erie,  should  also  be  taken ;  and  all  the  little  French  forts 
south  and  west  of  the  lakes,  quite  to  the  Mississippi,  be 
removed,  or  taken  and  garrisoned  by  the  English." 

These  colonies  were  to  be  on  the  French  plan  of  western 
colonization,  every  fort  having  a  small  settlement  around  it, 
one  furnishing  protection  and  the  other  provisions ;  and 
Franklin  assumes  that  "  there  are  already  in  all  the  old  col 
onies  many  thousands  of  families  that  are  ready  to  swarm, 
wanting  more  land,"  who  wrould  be  attracted  by  "  the  rich 
ness  and  natural  advantages  of  the  Ohio  country."  He 
opens  his  essay,  indeed,  by  observing  that  "  the  great  country 


74  IIISTOllY    OF    OHIO. 

back  of  the  Appalachian  mountains,  on  both  sides  of  the 
Ohio  and  between  that  river  and  the  lakes,  is  now  well  known, 
both  to  the  English  and  French,  to  be  one  of  the  finest  in 
North  America,  for  the  extreme  richness  and  fertility  of  the 
land,  the  healthy  temperature  of  the  air,  and  mildness  of  the 
climate  ;  the  plenty  of  hunting,  fishing  and  fowling  ;  the  facil 
ity  of  trade  with  the  Indians ;  and  the  vast  convenience  of 
inland  navigation  or  water  carriage  by  the  lakes  and  great 
rivers,  many  hundreds  of  leagues  around."  "  From  these 
natural  advantages,"  he  predicts  "it  must  undoubtedly 
(perhaps  in  less  than  another  century,)  become  a  populous 
and  powerful  dominion" 

In  favor  of  his  project  of  charters  and  encouragement  to 
two  border  colonies,  as  above  sketched,  Franklin  gives  so 
characteristic  an  outline  of  the  evils  to  be  prevented,  and  the 
benefits  to  be  attained,  that  we  cannot  refrain  from  a  quota 
tion  of  some  extent : 

"  The  French  are  now  making  open  encroachments  on 
these  territories,  in  defiance  of  our  known  rights ;  and  if  we 
longer  delay  to  settle  that  country,  and  suffer  them  to  possess 
it,  these  inconveniencies  and  mischiefs  will  probably  follow  : 

1.  Our  people  being  confined  to  the  country  between  the 
sea  and  the  mountains,  cannot  much  more  increase  in  num 
ber  :  people  increasing  in  proportion  to  their  room  and  means 
of  subsistence. 

2.  The  French  will  increase  much  more,  by  that  acquired 
room  and  plenty  of  subsistence,  and  become  a  great  people 
behind  us. 

8.  Many  of  our  debtors  and  loose  English  people,  our 
German  servants  and  slaves,  will  probably  desert  to  them, 
and  increase  their  numbers  and  strength,  to  the  lessening  and 
weakening  of  ours. 


75 

4.  They  will   cut  us  off  from  all   commerce   and  alliance 
with  the  western  Indians,  to  the  great  prejudice  of  Britain, 
by  preventing  the  sale  and  consumption  of  its  manufactures. 

5.  They  will,  both  in  time  of  peace  and  war,  (as  they  have 
always  done  against  New  England,)  set  the  Indians  on  to 
harrass  our  frontiers,  kill  and  scalp  our  people,  and  drive  in 
the  advanced  settlers ;    and  so,  in  preventing  our  obtaining 
more  subsistence  by  cultivating  of  new  lands,  they  discourage 
our  marriages,  and  keep  our  people  from  increasing ;   thus 
(if  the  expression  may  be  allowed,)  killing  thousands  of  our 
children  before  they  are  born. 

"  If  two  strong  colonies  of  English  were  settled  between  the 
Ohio  and  Lake  Erie,  in  the  places  hereafter  to  be  mentioned, 
these  advantages  might  te  expected  : 

1 .  They  would  be  a  great  security  to  the  frontiers  of  our 
other  colonies,  by  preventing  the  incursions  of  the  French 
and  French  Indians  of  Canada,  on  the  back  parts  of  Pennsyl 
vania,  Maryland,  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas ;  and  the  fron 
tiers  of  such   new    colonies   would  be   much   more    easily 
defended  than  those  of  the  colonies  last  mentioned  now  can 
be,  as  will  appear  hereafter. 

2.  The    dreaded  junction  of  the  French   settlements   in 
Canada  with  those  of  Louisiana  would  be  prevented. 

8.  In  case  of  a  war,  it  would  be  easy,  from  those  new 
colonies,  to  annoy  Louisiana,  by  going  down  the  Ohio  and 
the  Mississippi ;  and  the  southern  part  of  Canada,  by  sailing 
over  the  lakes,  and  thereby  confine  the  French  within  narrow 
limits. 

4.  We  could  secure  the  friendship  and  trade  of  the  Miamis 
or  Twigtwees,  (a  numerous  people,  consisting  of  many  tribes, 
inhabiting  the  country  between  the  west  end  of  Lake  Erie 
and  the  south  end  of  Lake  Huron,  [Michigan  rather,]  and 


76  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

the  Ohio,)  who  are  at  present  dissatisfied  with  the  French  and 
fond  of  the  English,  and  would  gladly  encourage  and  protect 
an  infant  English  settlement  in  or  near  their  country,  as  some 
of  their  chiefs  have  declared  to  the  writer  of  this  memoir. 
Further,  by  means  of'  the  Lakes,  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi, 
our  trade  might  be  extended  through  a  vast  country,  among 
many  numerous  and  distant  nations,  greatly  to  the  benefit  of 
Britain. 

5.  The  settlement  of  all  the  intermediate  lands,  between 
the  present  frontiers  of  our  colonies  on  one  side,  and  the 
Lakes  and  Mississippi  on  the  other,  would  be  facilitated  and 
speedily  executed,  to  the  great  increase  of  Englishmen,  Eng 
lish  trade,  and  English  power. 

"  The  grants  to  most  of  the  colohies,  arc  of  long  narrow 
slips  of  land,  extending  west  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  South 
Sea.  They  are  much  too  long  for  their  breadth ;  the  ex 
tremes  are  at  too  great  distance :  and  therefore  unfit  to  be 
continued  under  their  present  dimensions.  Several  of  the 
old  colonies  may  conveniently  be  limited  westward  by  the 
Alleghany  or  Apalachian  mountains,  and  new  colonies  formed 
west  of  those  mountains." 

Tempting  as  this  relic  is,  we  will  not  further  pursue  the 
extract.  It  is  certainly  the  prophecy  of  history,  and  per 
haps  no  passage  in  the  useful  life  of  Franklin,  has  been  more 
productive  of  service  to  his  country,  than  his  early  labors  to 
unite  the  colonies.  They  were  the  germ  of  the  confederacy 
of  the  Revolution,  and  the  Constitution  of  1789.  The  fore 
going  project  was  in  the  alternative — only  in  case  the  Albany 
scheme  was  not  adopted.  Both,  however,  were  one  genera 
tion  too  soon.  These  councils  were  unheeded,  and  after 
1754,  the  reaction  in  favor  of  the  French,  so  extensively 
prevailed  among  the  Western  tribes,  for  the  reasons  already 


WASHINGTON'S  FIRST  CAMPAIGN.  77 

indicated,  that  Braddock's  defeat  became  the  signal  of  a  gen 
eral  rising  against  the  colonies. 

Our  record  of  the  subsequent  occurrences  of  the  French 
and  English  war,  can  only  be  chronological. 

On  the  17th  of  April,  1754,  while  a  small  party  of  Vir 
ginians  were  erecting  a  fort  at  the  forks  of  the  Ohio,  Contre- 
coeur,  a  French  officer,  appeared  on  the  Alleghany  with  sixty 
batteaux,  three  hundred  canoes  and  eighteen  cannon.  En 
sign  Ward,  who,  in  the  absence  of  Capt.  Trent  and  Lieut. 
Fraser,  was  in  command  of  only  forty-one  men,  surrendered 
to  a  force  of  one  thousand  French  and  Indians,  and  was  per 
mitted  to  lead  his  party,  with  their  tools,  to  Virginia.  The 
French  erected  Fort  Du  Quesne  at  once,  and  their  communi 
cation  from  Lake  Erie  to  the  Ohio  was  complete. 

The  retreating  company  fell  in  with  a  force  of  one  hun 
dred  and  fifty  men,  under  Col.  Washington,  who,  instead  of 
turning  back,  resolved  to  push  boldly  on,  strike  the  Monon- 
gahela  at  the  mouth  of  Redstone,  (now  Brownsville,)  and 
establish  a  fort  there.  Informed  by  Tanacharison,  a  friendly 
Indian  chief,  otherwise  called  Half  King,  that  a  French  party 
was  seeking  him,  Washington  advanced,  a  skirmish  ensued, 
M.  de  Junonville.  the  French  commandant,  and  ten  of  his 
men  were  killed,  and  twenty-two  taken  prisoners,  one  of 
whom  was  wounded.  One  of  Col.  Washington's  men  was 
killed,  and  two  or  three  wounded.  This  event  occurred  on 
the  28th  of  May,  1754. 

Washington  was  soon  joined  by  the  rest  of'  his  regiment 
(his  rank  was  Lieut.  Colonel,  but  he  had  succeeded  to  the 
command  on  the  death  of  Col.  Joseph  Fry,)  raising  his  force 
to  six  hundred  men.  He  erected  a  stockade  at  Great 
Meadows,  called  Fort  Necessity,  and  pushed  on  towards 
Fort  Du  Qucsnc.  The  approach  of  a  much  superior  force 


78  HISTDilY    01?    OHIO. 

under  M.  de  Villiers,  brother  of  Junonville,  obliged  him  to 
fall  back  to  Fort  Necessity.  His  troops  were  fatigued,  dis 
couraged  and  short  of  provisions  ;  and,  after  a  day's  fighting, 
he  agreed  to  give  up  the  fort,  arid  to  retire  with  his  arms  and 
baggage.  Having  retired  to  Wills  creek,  Washington's 
troops  assisted  in  the  erection  of  Fort  Cumberland,  which 
now  became  the  frontier  post  of  Virginia. 

We  need  not  repeat  the  tale  of  Braddock's  defeat.  It 
occurred  on  the  9th  of  July,  1755.  An  expedition  against 
Niagara  also  failed. 

Singular  as  it  may  seem  in  this  paper  age,  war  was  not 
declared  between  England  and  France  until  May,  1756. 
This  year  was  also  barren  of  results. 

Nothing  decisive  until  1758.  Then,  among  other  tri 
umphs  of  English  arms,  Fort  Du  Quesne  was  abandoned  on 
the  approach  of  Gen.  Forbes  through  Pennsylvania.  With 
the  fall  of  this  fort  ceased  all  direct  contest  in  the  West. 
From  that  time,  Canada  was  the  scene  of  operations,  but  in 
1759,  Ticonderoga,  Crown  Point,  Niagara,  and  at  length 
Quebec  itself,  yielded  to  the  English;  and,  on  the  8th  of 
September,  1700,  Montreal,  Detroit,  and  all  Canada  were 
given  up  by  Vaudreuil,  the  French  Governor. 

Our  statement  that  Fort  Sandusky  was  built  and  occupied 
by  the  French  as  early  as  1750—1,  is  now  seen  to  be  fully 
sustained  by  the  journal  of  Gist,  and  the  essay  of  Franklin 
(both  contemporary  documents)  as  well  as  by  the  opinion  of 
Bancroft.  The  exact  locality  of  this  stockade  cannot  be 
ascertained,  but  the  probability  is,  on  a  comparison  of  all  the 
references  which  have  fallen  under  our  notice,  that  the  site 
was  about  three  miles  west  of  the  city  of  Sandusky,  near  the 
village  of  Venice,  on  Sandusky  Bay.  The  trail  from  Fort 
Du  Quesne,  afterwards  Fort  Pitt,  and  now  Pittsburg,  to 


AN   INDIAN   TRAIL.  79 

Detroit,  evidently  struck  Sandusky  Bay,  near  the  locality 
above  mentioned,  and  Fort  Sandusky  was  not  probably  far 
from  that  trail. 

All  the  Revolutionary  treaties  with  the  Ohio  Indians,  as 
well  as  the  treaties  of  January  9,  1789,  at  Fort  Hannar, 
and  August  3,  1795,  at  Greenville,  contain  grants  to  the 
United  States  of  "  six  miles  square  upon  Sandusky  Lake, 
where  the  Fort  formerly  stood"  On  a  map  of  Ohio,  pub 
lished  in  1808,  this  tract  is  clearly  delineated  as  extending 
from  the  south  shore  of  Sandusky  Bay,  and  including  the 
locality  which  we  have  supposed  to  be  the  situation  of  Fort 
Sandusky.  Parkman,  in  a  chart  of  "Forts  and  Settlements 
in  America,  A.  D.  1763,"  places  nothing  within  the  present 
limits  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  except  Fort  Sandusky,  which  is 
situated  on  the  Bay  or  Lake  of  that  name.  The  allusions 
to  Fort  Sandusky  imply  so  distinctly  that  it  was  near  Lake 
Erie,  or  easily  accessible  therefrom,  that  the  opinion  has 
been  expressed,  that  the  Fort  was  situated  on  the  peninsula 
north  of  the  Bay ;  and  Evans'  "  Map  of  the  British  Colo 
nies,"  published  in  1755,  represents  Fort  Sandusky  on  the 
left  side  of  the  outlet  of  the  Bay,  and  marks  a  Fort  Junan- 
dat  (a  probable  corruption  of  Wyandot)  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Sandusky  River,  on  the  south  side.  This  location  of 
Fort  Sandusky,  placing  it  in  Danbury  township,  Ottawa 
county,  is  universally  contradicted  by  subsequent  charts  and 
descriptions,  and  we  have  adopted  an  opinion  in  favor  of  the 
location  on  the  great  northwestern  trail.  That  trail  we  sup 
pose  to  have  struck  a  point  on  the  Tuscarawas  River,  near 
the  junction  of  Sandy  creek,  on  the  southern  border  of  Stark 
county ;  thence  westward  through  the  southern  tier  of  town 
ships  in  Wayne  county,  and  the  towns  of  Mohican  and  Ver- 
million,  in  Ashland  county;  thence  turning  northwest  through 


80  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

Mifflin,  Franklin  and  Plymouth  townships,  of  Richland  county, 
crossing  the  Black  Fork  of  the  "Walhonding  or  Whitewoman 
River  twice  ;  still  more  northwardly  through  the  townships 
of  New  Haven,  Greenfield,  Peru  and  Ridgeficld,  of  Huron 
county,  striking  across  a  bend  in  the  Huron  River  ;  and  so 
through  Erie  county  northwestwardly  in  the  direction  of  De 
troit. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

A  PICTURE  OF  OHIO  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  SINCE. 

IT  is  in  our  power,  by  transcribing  freely  from  a  Narrative 
of  the  Captivity  of  Col.  James  Smith  among  the  Ohio  Indians, 
between  May,  1755,  and  April,  1759,  to  present  a  picture 
of  the  wilderness  and  its  savage  occupants,  which,  bearing 
intrinsic  evidence  of  faithful  accuracy,  is  also  corroborated  by 
the  public  and  private  character  of  the  writer. 

Col.  James  Smith  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  after 
his  return  from  Indian  captivity,  was  entrusted,  in  1763,  with 
the  command  of  a  company  of  riflemen.  He  trained  his  men 
in  the  Indian  tactics  and  discipline,  and  directed  them  to 
assume  the  dress  of  warriors,  and  to  paint  their  faces  red 
and  black,  so  that  in  appearance  they  were  hardly  distinguish 
able  from  the  enemy.  Some  of  his  exploits  in  the  defence  of 
the  Pennsylvania  border  are  less  creditable  to  him  than  his 
services  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  He  lived  until  the 
year  1812,  and  is  the  author  of  a  Treatise  on  the  Indian  mode 
of  warfare.  In  Kentucky,  where  he  spent  the  latter  part  of 
his  life,  he  was  much  respected,  and  several  times  elected  to 
the  Legislature. 

The  first  edition  of  Smith's  Journal  was  published  in 
Lexington,  Kentucky,  by  John  Bradford,  in  1799. l  Samuel 
G.  Drake,  the  Indian  antiquarian  and  author,  accompanies 

1 )  Sec  a  volume  entitled  "  Indian  Captivities,  or  Life  in  the  Wigwam  ; "  by 
S.  G.  Drake,  author  of  the  "  Book  of  the  Indians;  "  Derby  &  Miller,  publish 
ers,  Auburn.  N.  Y 

(31) 


82  HISTORY  OP  oino. 

its  republication  in  1851  by  a  tribute  to  Smith  as  "  an 
exemplary  Christian  and  unwavering  patriot." 

In  the  spring  of  1755,  James  Smith,  then  eighteen  years 
of  age,  was  captured  by  three  Indians,  (two  Delawares  and 
one  Canasatauga,)  about  four  or  five  miles  above  Bedford,  in 
Western  Pennsylvania.  He  was  immediately  led  to  the 
banks  of  the  Alleghany  River,  opposite  Fort  Du  Quesne,  whore 
he  was  compelled  to  run  the  gauntlet  between  two  long  ranks 
of  Indians,  each  stationed  about  two  or  three  rods  apart.  His 
treatment  was  not  severe,  until  near  the  end  of  the  lines, 
when  he  was  felled  by  a  blow  from  a  stick  or  tomahawk  han 
dle,  and,  on  attempting  to  rise,  was  blinded  by  sand  thrown 
into  his  eyes.  The  blows  continued  until  he  became  insensi 
ble,  and  when  he  recovered  his  consciousness,  he  found  him 
self  within  the  fort,  much  bruised,  and  under  the  charge  of  a 
French  physician. 

While  yet  unrecovered  from  his  wounds,  Smith  was  a  wit 
ness  of  the  French  exultation  and  the  Indian  orgies  over  the 
disastrous  defeat  of  Braddock.  A  few  days  afterwards,  his 
Indian  captors  placed  him  in  a  canoe,  and  ascended  the  Alle 
ghany  River  to  an  Indian  town  on  the  north  side  of  the  river, 
about  forty  miles  above  Fort  Du  Quesne.  Here  they 
remained  three  weeks,  when  the  party  proceeded  to  a  village 
on  the  west  branch  of  the  Muskingum,  about  twenty  miles 
above  the  forks.  This  village  was  called  Tullihas,  and  was 
inhabited  by  Delawares,  Caughnewagas  and  Mohicans.2  The 

2)  Heckewcldcr,  in  his  History  of  the  Indian  Nations  (p.  77).  says  that 
the  Coclinewago  Indians  were  a  remnant  of  the  Mohicans  of  New  England, 
who  had  fled  to  the  shores  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  where  they  incorporated 
themselves  with  the  Iroquois,  and  became  a  mixed  race,  of  course  under 
French  influence.  A  number  of  the  Mohicans  from  Connecticut  emigrated 
to  Ohio  in  1762,  and  their  chief  was  "Mohican  John,"  whose  village  was  on 
the  trail  from  Sandusky  to  Fort  Pitt,  near  the  township  of  Mohican,  in 
Ashland  county,  according  to  our  reckoning. 


OHIO    ONE   HUNDRED    YEARS    SINCE.  83 

soil  between  the  Alleghany  and  Muskingum  rivers,  on  the 
route  here  designated,  is  described  as  "chiefly  black  oak 
and  white  oak  land,  which  appeared  generally  to  be  good 
wheat  land,  chiefly  second  and  third  rate,  intermixed  with 
some  rich  bottoms." 

While  remaining  at  Tullihas,  Smith  describes  the  manner 
of  his  adoption  by  the  Indians  and  other  ceremonies,  which 
we  prefer  to  give  in  his  own  words : 

"  The  clay  after  my  arrival  at  the  aforesaid  town,  a  num 
ber  of  Indians  collected  about  me,  and  one  of  them  began  to 
pull  the  hair  out  of  my  head.  He  had  some  ashes  on  a  piece 
of  bark,  in  which  he  frequently  dipped  his  fingers  in  order  to 
take  the  firmer  hold,  and  so  he  went  on,  as  if  he  had  been 
plucking  a  turkey,  until  he  had  all  the  hair  clean  out  of  my 
head,  except  a  small  spot  about  three  or  four  inches  square 
on  my  crown.  This  they  cut  off  with  a  pair  of  scissors,  ex 
cepting  three  locks,  which  they  dressed  up  in  their  own 
mode.  Two  of  these  they  wrapped  round  with  a  narrow 
beaded  garter,  made  by  themselves  for  that  purpose,  and  the 
other  they  plaited  at  full  length,  and  then  stuck  it  full  of 
silver  brooches.  After  this  they  bored  my  nose  and  ears, 
and  fixed  me  off  with  ear-rings  and  nose-jewels.  Then  they 
ordered  me  to  strip  off  my  clothes  and  put  on  a  breech-clout, 
which  I  did.  They  then  painted  my  head,  face  and  body,  in 
various  colors.  They  put  a  large  belt  of  wampum  on  my 
neck,  and  silver  bands  on  my  hands  and  right  arm ;  and  so 
an  old  Chief  led  me  out  on  the  street,  and  gave  the  alarm 
halloo,  coo-wigh)  several  times,  repeated  quick  ;  and  on  this, 
all  that  were  in  the  town  came  running  and  stood  round  the 
old  Chief,  who  held  me  by  the  hand  in  the  midst.  As  I  at 
that  time  knew  nothing  of  their  mode  of  adoption,  and  had 
seen  them  put  to  death  all  they  had  taken,  and  as  I  never 


84  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

could  find  that  they  saved  a  man  alive  at  Braddock's  defeat, 
I  made  no  doubt  but  they  were  about  putting  me  to  death  in 
some  cruel  manner.  The  old  Chief  holding  me  by  the  hand, 
made  a  long  speech,  very  loud,  and  when  he  had  done,  he 
handed  me  to  three  young  squaws,  who  led  me  by  the  hand 
down  the  bank,  into  the  river,  until  the  water  was  up  to  our 
middle.  The  squaws  then  made  signs  to  me  to  plunge  my 
self  into  the  water,  but  I  did  not  understand  them.  I  thought 
the  result  of  the  council  was  that  I  should  be  drowned,  and 
that  these  young  ladies  were  to  be  the  executioners.  They 
all  three  laid  violent  hold  of  me,  and  I  for  some  time  opposed 
them  with  all  my  might,  which  occasioned  loud  laughter  by 
the  multitude  that  were  on  the  bank  of  the  river.  At  length 
one  of  the  squaws  made  out  to  speak  a  little  English  (for  I 
believe  they  began  to  be  afraid  of  me)  and  said  '  No  hurt 
you?  On  this  I  gave  myself  up  to  their  ladyships,  who  were 
as  good  as  their  word ;  for  though  they  plunged  me  under 
water,  and  washed  and  rubbed  me  severely,  yet  I  could  not 
say  they  hurt  me  much. 

"  These  young  women  then  led  me  up  to  the  council  house, 
where  some  of  the  tribe  were  ready  with  new  clothes  for  me. 
They  gave  me  a  new  ruffled  shirt,  which  I  put  on,  also  a  pair 
of  leggins  done  off  with  ribbons  and  beads,  likewise  a  pair 
of  moccasins,  and  garters  dressed  with  beads,  porcupine 
quills  and  red  hair — also  a  tinsel-laced  cappo.  They  again 
painted  my  head  and  face  with  various  colors,  and  tied  a 
bunch  of  red  feathers  to  one  of  those  locks  they  had  left  on 
the  crown  of  my  head,  which  stood  up  five  or  six  inches. 
They  seated  me  on  a  bear-skin  and  gave  me  a  pipe,  toma 
hawk  and  polecat-skin  pouch,  which  had  been  skinned  pocket- 
fashion,  and  contained  tobacco,  killegcnico,  or  dry  sumach 
leaves,  which  they  mix  with  their  tobacco ;  also  spunk,  flint 


OHIO    ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   SINCE.  85 

and  steel.  When  I  was  thus  seated,  the  Indians  came  in, 
dressed  and  painted  in  their  grandest  manner.  As  they 
came  in,  they  took  their  seats,  and  for  a  considerable  time 
there  was  a  profound  silence — every  one  was  smoking  ;  but 
not  a  word  was  spoken  among  them.  At  length  one  of  the 
Chiefs  made  a  speech,  which  was  delivered  to  me  by  an  in 
terpreter,  and  was  as  followeth :  '  My  son,  you  are  now  flesh 
of  our  flesh  and  bone  of  our  bone.  By  the  ceremony  which 
was  performed  this  day,  every  drop  of  white  blood  was 
washed  out  of  your  veins  ;  you  are  taken  into  the  Caughne- 
wago  nation  and  initiated  into  a  war-like  tribe  ;  you  are 
adopted  into  a  great  family,  and  now  received  with  great 
seriousness  and  solemnity  in  the  room  and  place  of  a  great 
man.  After  what  has  passed  this  day,  you  are  now  one  of 
us  by  an  old  strong  law  and  custom.  My  son,  you  have  now 
nothing  to  fear — we  are  now  under  the  same  obligations  to 
love,  support  and  defend  you  that  we  are  to  love  and  defend 
one  another  ;  therefore  you  are  to  consider  yourself  as  one 
of  our  people.'  At  this  time  I  did  not  believe  this  fine 
speech,  especially  that  of  the  white  blood  being  washed  out 
of  me  ;  but  since  that  time  I  have  found  that  there  was  much 
sincerity  in  said  speech  ;  for,  from  that  day,  I  never  knew 
them  to  make  any  distinction  between  me  and  themselves,  in 
any  respect  whatever,  until  I  left  them.  If  they  had  plenty 
of  clothing,  I  had  plenty  ;  if  we  were  scarce,  we  all  shared 
one  fate. 

"After  this  ceremony  was  over,  I  was  introduced  to  my 
new  kin,  and  told  that  I  was  to  attend  a  feast  that  evening, 
which  I  did.  And  as  the  custom  was,  they  gave  me  also  a 
bowl  and  wooden  spoon,  which  I  carried  with  me  to  the 
place,  where  there  was  a  number  of  large  brass  kettles,  full 
of  boiled  venison  and  green  corn ;  every  one  advanced  with 


86  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

his  bowl  and  spoon,  and  had  his  share  given  him.  After  this, 
one  of  the  chiefs  made  a  short  speech,  and  then  we  began  to 
eat. 

"  The  name  of  one  of  the  chiefs  in  this  town,  was  Tecany- 
aterighto,  alias  Pluggy,  and  the  other  Asallecoa,  alias  Mo 
hawk  Solomon.  As  Pluggy  and  his  party  were  to  start  the 
next  day  to  war,  to  the  frontiers  of  Virginia,  the  next  thing 
to  be  performed  was  the  war  dance,  and  their  war  songs. 
At  their  war  dance,  they  had  both  vocal  and  instrumental 
music ;  they  had  a  short  hollow  gum,  closed  at  one  end,  with 
water  in  it,  and  parchment  stretched  over  the  open  end 
thereof,  which  they  beat  with  one  stick,  and  made  a  sound 
nearly  like  a  muffled  drum.  All  those  who  were  going  on 
this  expedition,  collected  together  and  formed.  An  old 
Indian  then  began  to  sing,  and  timed  the  music  by  beating 
on  this  drum,  as  the  ancients  formerly  timed  their  music  by 
beating  the  tabor.  On  this,  the  warriors  began  to  advance, 
or  move  forward  in  concert,  like  well  disciplined  troops  would 
march  to  the  fife  and  drum.  Each  warrior  had  a  tomahawk, 
spear,  or  war-mallet  in  his  hand,  and  they  all  moved  regu 
larly  toward  the  east,  or  the  way  they  intended  to  go  to  war. 
At  length  they  all  stretched  their  tomahawks  toward  the 
Potomac,  and  giving  a  hideous  shout  or  yell,  they  wheeled 
quick  about,  and  danced  in  the  same  manner  back.  The 
next  was  the  war  song.  In  performing  this,  only  one  sung 
at  a  time,  in  a  moving  posture,  with  a  tomahawk  in  his  hand, 
while  all  the  other  wTarriors  were  engaged  in  calling  aloud, 
lie  uh,  he  uh,  which  they  constantly  repeated  while  the  war 
song  was  going  on.  When  the  warrior  that  was  singing  had 
ended  his  song,  he  struck  a  war-post  with  his  tomahawk, 
and  with  a  loud  voice  told  what  warlike  exploits  he  had  done, 
and  what  he  now  intended  to  do,  which  were  answered  by 


OHIO   ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   SINCE.  87 

the  other  warriors  with  loud  shouts  of  applause.  Some  who 
Lad  not  before  intended  to  go  to  war  at  this  time,  were  so 
animated  by  this  performance,  that  they  took  up  the  toma 
hawk  and  sung  the  war  song,  which  was  answered  with 
shouts  of  joy,  as  they  were  then  initiated  into  the  present 
inarching  company.  The  next  morning  this  company  all 
collected  at  one  place,  with  their  heads  and  faces  painted 
with  various  colors,  and  packs  upon  their  backs ;  they 
marched  off,  all  silent,  except  the  commander,  who,  in  the 
front,  sung  the  traveling  song,  which  began  in  this  manner : 
Itoo  cauglitaintelieegana.  Just  as  the  rear  passed  the  end  of  the 
town,  they  began  to  fire  in  their  slow  manner,  from  the  front 
to  the  rear,  which  was  accompanied  with  shouts  and  yells 
from  all  quarters. 

"This  evening  I  was  invited  to  another  sort  of  dance, 
which  was  a  kind  of  promiscuous  dance.  The  young  men 
stood  in  one  rank,  and  the  young  women  in  another,  about 
one  rod  apart,  facing  each  other.  The  one  that  raised  the 
tune,  or  started  the  song,  held  a  small  gourd  or  dry  shell  of 
a  squash  in  his  hand,  which  contained  beads  or  small  stones, 
which  rattled.  When  he  began  to  sing,  he  timed  the  tune 
with  his  rattle ;  both  men  and  women  danced  and  sung 
together,  advancing  towards  each  other,  stooping  until  their 
heads  would  be  touching  together,  and  then  ceased  from 
dancing,  with  loud  shouts,  and  retreated  and  formed  again, 
and  so  repeated  the  same  thing  over  and  over,  for  three  or 
four  hours,  without  intermission.  This  exercise  appeared  to 
me  at  first  irrational  and  insipid ;  but  I  found  that  in  singing 
their  tunes  ya  ne  no  Jwo  wa  ne,  &c.,  like  our  fa  sol  la,  and 
though  they  have  no  such  thing  as  jingling  verse,  yet  they 
can  intermix  sentences  with  their  notes,  and  say  what 
tliC'v  pleaso  to  each  other,  and  carry  on  the  tune  in  concert. 


88  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

I  found  that  this  was  a  kind  of  wooing  or  courting  dance, 
and  as  they  advanced  stooping  with  their  heads  together, 
they  could  say  what  they  pleased  in  each  other's  ear,  with 
out  disconcerting  their  rough  music,  and  the  others,  or  those 
near,  not  hear  what  they  said." 

Smith  describes  an  expedition,  about  thirty  or  forty  miles 
southwardly,  to  a  spot  which  he  supposed  to  be  between  the 
Muskingum,  Ohio  and  Scioto  rivers — perhaps  in  Licking 
county.  It  was  a  buffalo  lick,  where  the  Indians  killed  sev 
eral  buifalo,  and  in  their  small  brass  kettles  made  about  half 
a  bushel  of  salt.  Here  were  clear  open  woods,  and  thin 
white  oak  land,  with  several  paths,  like  wagon  roads,  leading 
to  the  lick. 

Returning  to  the  Indian  village  on  the  Muskingum,  Smith 
obtained  an  English  Bible,  which  Pluggy  and  his  party  had 
brought  back  among  other  spoils  of  an  expedition  as  far  as  the 
south  branch  of  the  Potomac.  He  remained  at  Tullihas  until 
October,  when  he  accompanied  his  adopted  brother,  whose 
name  was  Tontileaugo,  and  who  had  married  a  Wyandot 
woman,  to  Lake  Erie.  Their  route  was  up  the  west  branch 
of  the  Muskingum,  through  a  country  which  for  some  distance 
was  "  hilly,  but  intermixed  with  large  bodies  of  tolerable  rich 
upland  and  excellent  bottoms."  They  proceeded  to  the  head 
waters  of  the  west  branch  of  Muskingum,  and  thence 
crossed  to  the  waters  of  a  stream,  called  by  Smith  the  Cane- 
sadooharie.  This  was  probably  the  Black  River,  which, 
rising  in  Ashland,  and  traversing  Medina  and  Lorain  counties, 
(at  least  by  the  course  of  its  east  branch,)  falls  into  Lake 
Erie  a  few  miles  north  of  Elyria.3  If  we  suppose  that  Tul 
lihas,  situated  twenty  miles  above  the  principal  forks  of 
Muskingum,  was  near  the  junction  of  the  Yernon  and  Mo- 

3)  See  Appendix,  No.  V. 


OHIO    ONE   HUNDRED    YEARS    SINCE.  89 

hican  Rivers,  on  the  border  of  Knox  and  Coshocton  counties, 
Smith  and  his  companion  probably  followed  what  is  called  on 
Thayers'  Map  of  Ohio  the  "  Lake  fork  of  the  Mohican,"  until 
they  reached  the  northern  portion  of  Ashland  county,  and 
there  struck  the  headwaters  of  the  Canesadooharie,  where,  as 
Smith  testifies,  they  found  "  a  large  body  of  rich,  well-lying 
land ;  the  timber,  ash,  walnut,  sugartree,  buckeye,  honey- 
locust  and  cherry,  intermixed  with  some  oak  and  hickory." 
Let  us  here  resume  the  Narrative : 

"  On  this  route  we  had  no  horses  with  us,  and  when  we 
started  from  the  town,  all  the  pack  I  carried  was  a  pouch, 
containing  my  books,  a  little  dried  venison,  and  my  blanket. 
I  had  then  no  gun,  but  Tontileaugo,  who  was  a  first  rate 
hunter,  carried  a  rifle  gun,  and  every  day  killed  deer,  rac 
coons  or  bears.  We  left  the  meat,  excepting  a  little  for 
present  use,  and  carried  the  skins  with  us  until  we  encamped, 
and  then  stretched  them  with  elm  bark  on  a  frame  made  with 
poles  stuck  in  the  ground,  and  tied  together  with  lynn  or  elm 
bark ;  and  when  the  skins  were  dried  by  the  fire,  we  packed 
them  up  and  carried  them  with  us  the  next  day. 

"  As  Tontileaugo  could  not  speak  English,  I  had  to  make 
use  of  all  the  Caughnewaga  I  had  learned,  even  to  talk  very 
imperfectly  with  him ;  but  I  found  I  learned  to  talk  Indian 
faster  this  way  than  when  I  had  those  with  me  who  could 
speak  English. 

"  As  we  proceeded  down  the  Canesadooharie  waters,  our 
packs  increased  by  the  skins  that  were  daily  killed,  and 
became  so  very  heavy  that  we  could  not  march  more  than 
eight  or  ten  miles  per  day.  We  came  to  Lake  Erie  about 
six  miles  west  of  the  mouth  of  Canesadooharie.  As  the  wind 
was  very  high  the  evening  we  came  to  the  lake,  I  was  sur 
prised  to  hear  the  roaring  of  the  water,  and  see  the  high 


90  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

waves  that  dashed  against  the  shore  like  the  ocean.  We 
encamped  on  a  run  near  the  lake,  and  as  the  wind  fell  that 
night,  the  next  morning  the  surface  was  only  in  a  moderate 
motion,  and  we  marched  on  the  sand  along  the  side  of  the 
water,  frequently  resting  ourselves  as  we  were  heavy  laden. 
I  saw  on  the  strand  a  number  of  large  fish  that  had  been  left 
in  flat  or  hollow  places :  as  the  wind  fell  and  the  waves  aba 
ted,  they  were  left  without  water,  or  only  a  small  quantity, 
and  numbers  of  bald  and  gray  eagles,  &c.,  were  along  the 
shore  devouring  them. 

"  Some  time  in  the  afternoon  we  came  to  a  large  camp  of 
Wyandots,  at  the  mouth  of  Canesadooharie,  where  Tontil- 
eaugo's  wife  was.  Here  we  were  kindly  received  :  they  gave 
us  a  kind  of  rough  brown  potatoes,  which  grew  spontaneously, 
and  were  called  by  the  Caughnewagas  oJinenata.  These 
potatoes  peeled,  and  dipped  in  raccoon's  fat,  taste  nearly  like 
our  sweet  potatoes.  They  also  gave  us  what  they  called 
caneheanta,  which  is  a  kind  of  hominy  made  of  green  corn, 
dried,  and  beans  mixed  together. 

"  From  the  headwaters  of  Canesadooharie  to  this  place  the 
land  is  generally  good — chiefly  first  or  second  rate,  and  com 
paratively  little  or  no  third  rate.  The  only  refuse  is  some 
swamps  that  appear  to  be  too  wet  for  use,  yet  I  apprehend 
that  a  number  of  them,  if  drained,  would  make  excellent 
meadows.  The  timber  is  black  oak,  walnut,  hickory,  cherry, 
black  ash,  white  ash,  water  ash,  buckeye,  black  locust,  honey 
locust,  sugar-tree  and  elm.  There  is  also  some  land,  though 
comparatively  but  small,  where  the  timber  is  chiefly  white 
oak  or  beech  ;  this  may  be  called  third  rate.  In  the  bottoms, 
and  also  many  places  in  the  uplands,  there  is  a  large  quantity 
of  wild  apple,  plum,  and  red  and  black  haw  trees.  It 
appeared  to  be  well  watered,  and  a  plenty  of  meadow  ground 


OHIO    ONE   HUNDRED    YEARS   SINCE.  91 

intermixed  with  upland,  but  no  large  prairies  or  glades  that 
I  saw  or  heard  of.  In  this  route  deer,  bear,  turkeys  and 
raccoons  appeared  plenty,  but  no  buffalo,  and  very  little  signs 
of  elks. 

"  We  continued  our  camp  at  the  mouth  of  Canesadooharie 
for  some  time,  where  we  killed  some  deer  and  a  great  many 
raccoons :  the  raccoons  here  were  remarkably  large  and  fat. 
At  length  we  all  embarked  in  a  large  birch  bark  canoe.  This 
vessel  was  about  four  feet  wide  and  three  feet  deep,  and 
about  five  and  thirty  feet  long  ;  and  though  it  could  carry  a 
heavy  burden,  it  was  so  artfully  and  curiously  constructed 
that  four  men  could  carry  it  several  miles,  or  from  one  land 
ing  place  to  another,  or  from  the  waters  of  the  lake  to  the 
waters  of  the  Ohio.  We  proceeded  up  Canesadooharie  a 
few  miles,  and  went  on  shore  to  hunt ;  but  to  my  great  sur 
prise,  they  carried  the  vessel  that  we  all  came  in  up  the 
bank,  and  inverted  it,  or  turned  the  bottom  up,  and  conver 
ted  it  into  a  dwelling  house,  and  kindled  a  fire  before  us  to 
warm  ourselves  by  and  cook.  With  our  baggage  and  our 
selves  in  this  house,  we  were  very  much  crowded,  yet  our 
little  house  turned  off  the  rain  very  well. 

"  We  kept  moving  and  hunting  up  this  river  until  we  came 
to  the  falls :  here  we  remained  some  weeks,  and  killed  a 
number  of  deer,  several  bears,  and  a  great  many  raccoons. 
They  then  buried  their  large  canoe  in  the  ground, 
which  is  the  way  they  took  to  preserve  this  sort  of  a  canoe 
in  the  winter  season. 

"  As  we  had  at  this  time  no  horses,  every  one  got  a  pack 
on  his  back,  and  we  steered  an  east  course  about  twelve 
miles  and  encamped.  The  next  morning  we  proceeded  on 
the  same  course  about  ten  miles  to  a  large  creek  that  empties 
into  Lake  Erie  betwixt  Canesadooharie  and  Cayahaga.  Here 


92  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

they  made  their  winter  cabin  in  the  following  form :  they  cut 
logs  about  fifteen  feet  long,  and  laid  these  logs  upon  each 
other,  and  drove  posts  in  the  ground  at  each  end  to  keep 
them  together ;  the  posts  they  tied  together  at  the  top  with 
bark,  and  by  this  means  raised  a  wall  fifteen  feet  long,  and 
about  four  feet  high,  and  in  the  same  manner  they  raised 
another  wall  opposite  to  this,  at  about  twelve  feet  distance ; 
they  then  drove  forks  in  the  ground  in  the  centre  of  each 
end,  and  laid  a  strong  pole  from  end  to  end  on  these  forks  ; 
and  from  these  walls  to  the  poles,  they  set  up  poles  instead 
of  rafters,  and  on  these  they  tied  small  poles  in  place  of 
laths  ;  and  a  cover  was  made  of  linn  bark,  which  will  run 
even  in  the  winter  season. 

"As  every  tree  will  not  run,  they  examine  the  tree  first, 
by  trying  it  near  the  ground,  and  when  they  find  it  will  do, 
they  fell  the  tree  and  raise  the  bark  with  the  tomahawk,  near 
the  top  of  the  tree,  about  five  or  six  inches  broad,  then  put 
the  tomahawk  handle  under  this  bark,  and  pull  it  along  down 
to  the  butt  of  the  tree ;  so  that  sometimes  one  piece  of  bark 
will  be  thirty  feet  long.  This  bark  they  cut  at  suitable 
lengths  in  order  to  cover  the  hut. 

"  At  the  end  of  these  walls  they  set  up  split  timber,  so 
that  they  had  timber  all  around,  excepting  a  door  at  each 
end.  At  the  top,  in  place  of  a  chimney,  they  left  an  open 
place,  and  for  bedding  they  laid  down  the  aforesaid  kind  of 
bark,  on  winch  they  spread  bear  skins.  From  end  to  end 
of  this  hut,  along  the  middle,  there  were  fires,  which  the 
squaws  made  of  dry  split  wood,  and  the  holes  or  open  places 
that  appeared,  the  squaws  stopped  with  moss,  which  they 
collected  from  old  logs  ;  and  at  the  door  they  hung  a  bear 
skin ;  and  notwithstanding  the  winters  are  hard  here,  our 
lodging  was  much  better  than  I  expected." 


OHIO    ONE   HUNDRED    YEARS    SINCE.  1)3 

It  appears  that  this  Wyandot  encampment  consisted  of 
eight  hunters  and  thirteen  squaws,  boys  and  children.  Soon 
afterwards,  four  of  the  hunters  started  upon  an  expedition 
against  the  English  settlements,  leaving  Tontileaugo,  three 
other  Indians,  and  Smith,  to  supply  the  camp  with  food. 
The  winter  months  passed  in  hunting  excursions — the  bear, 
even  more  than  the  deer,  being  an  object  of  active  and  suc 
cessful  pursuit.  The  months  of  February  and  March,  1756, 
seem  to  have  been  occupied  as  follows : 

"  In  February  we  began  to  make  sugar.  As  some  of  the 
elm  bark  will  strip  at  this  season,  the  squaws,  after  finding  a 
tree  that  would  do,  cut  it  down,  and  with  a  crooked  stick, 
broad  and  sharp  at  the  end,  took  the  bark  off  the  tree,  and 
of  this  bark  made  vessels  in  a  curious  manner,  that  would 
hold  about  two  gallons  each ;  they  made  above  one  hundred 
of  these  kind  of  vessels.  In  the  sugar-tree  they  cut  a  notch, 
sloping  down,  and  at  the  end  stuck  in  a  tomahawk ;  in  the 
place  where  they  stuck  the  tomahawk,  they  drove  a  long 
chip,  in  order  to  carry  the  water  out  from  the  tree,  and  under 
this  they  set  their  vessel  to  receive  it.  As  sugar-trees  were 
plenty  and  large  here,  they  seldom  or  never  notched  a  tree 
that  was  not  two  or  three  feet  over.  They  also  made  bark 
vessels  for  carrying  the  water  that  would  hold  about  four 
gallons  each.  They  had  twro  brass  kettles  that  held  about 
fifteen  gallons  each,  and  other  smaller  kettles  in  which  they 
boiled  the  water.  But  as  they  could  not  at  times  boil  away 
the  water  as  fast  as  it  was  collected,  they  made  vessels  of 
bark  that  would  hold  about  one  hundred  gallons  each  for  re 
taining  the  water ;  and  though  the  sugar-trees  did  not  run 
every  day,  they  had  always  a  sufficient  quantity  of  water  to 
keep  them  boiling  during  the  whole  sugar  season. 

"  The  way  we  commonly  used  our  sugar  -while  encamped 


94  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

was  by  putting  it  in  bear's  fat  until  the  fat  was  almost  as 
sweet  as  the  sugar  itself,  and  in  this  we  dipped  our  roasted 
venison.  About  this  time,  some  of  the  Indian  lads  and  my 
self  were  employed  in  making  and  attending  traps  for  catch 
ing  raccoons,  foxes,  wild-cats,  &c. 

"  As  the  raccoon  is  a  kind  of  water  animal,  that  frequents 
the  runs,  or  small  water  courses,  almost  the  whole  night,  we 
made  our  traps  on  the  runs,  by  laying  one  small  sapling  on 
another,  and  driving  in  posts  to  keep  them  from  rolling.  The 
under  sapling  we  raised  about  eighteen  inches,  and  set  so 
that  on  the  raccoon's  touching  a  string,  or  a  small  piece  of 
bark,  the  sapling  would  fall  and  kill  it ;  and  lest  the  raccoon 
should  pass  by,  we  laid  brush  on  both  sides  of  the  run,  only 
leaving  the  channel  open. 

"  The  fox-traps  we  made  nearly  in  the  same  manner,  at 
the  end  of  a  hollow  log,  or  opposite  to  a  hole  at  the  root  of  a 
hollow  tree,  and  put  venison  on  a  stick  for  bait;  we  had  it 
so  set  that  when  the  fox  took  hold  of  the  meat  the  trap  fell. 
While  the  squaws  were  employed  in  making  sugar,  the  boys 
and  men  were  engaged  in  hunting  and  trapping. 

"About  the  latter  end  of  March,  we  began  to  prepare  for 
moving  into  town,  in  order  to  plant  corn.  The  squaws  were 
then  frying  the  last  of  their  bear's  fat,  and  making  vessels  to 
hold  it ;  the  vessels  were  made  of  deer  skins,  which  were 
skinned  by  pulling  the  skin  off  the  neck,  without  ripping. 
After  they  had  taken  off  the  hair,  they  gathered  it  in  small 
plaits  round  the  neck,  and  with  a  string  drew  it  together 
like  a  purse ;  in  the  centre  a  pin  was  put,  below  which  they 
tied  a  string,  and  while  it  was  wet  they  blew  it  up  like  a 
bladder,  and  let  it  remain  in  this  manner  until  it  was  dry, 
when  it  appeared  nearly  in  the  shape  of  a  sugar  loaf,  but 
more  rounding  at  the  lower  end.  One  of  these  vessels  would 


OHIO   ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS    SINCE.  95 

hold  about  four  or  five  gallons.  In  these  vessels  it  was  they 
carried  their  bear's  oil." 

When  all  things  were  ready,  the  party  returned  to  the 
falls  of  Canesadooharie,  and  thence,  after  building  another 
canoe  of  elm  bark,  to  the  town  at  the  mouth  of  the  river. 

By  this  time,  Smith  was  thoroughly  domesticated  among 
his  Indian  captors.  He  found  himself  treated  as  an  equal 
and  often  with  disinterested  kindness.  His  Indian  name,  by 
which  they  habitually  addressed  him,  was  Scoouwa.  At 
length,  he  and  his  adopted  brother,  Tontileaugo,  started  for 
a  westward  journey  to  Sandusky  Lake — Smith  on  horseback 
along  the  strand  of  Lake  Erie,  and  the  Indian  in  a  canoe 
near  the  shore.  Here  we  resume  our  extracts: 

"After  some  time,  the  wind  arose,  and  we  went  into  the 
mouth  of  a  small  creek,  and  encamped.  Here  we  stayed  sev 
eral  days  on  account  of  high  wind,  which  raised  the  lake  in 
great  billows.  While  we  were  here,  Tontileaugo  went  out 
to  hunt,  and  when  he  was  gone,  a  Wyandot  came  to  our 
camp :  I  gave  him  a  shoulder  of  venison  which  I  had  by  the 
fire,  well  roasted,  and  he  received  it  gladly,  told  me  he  was 
hungry  and  thanked  me  for  my  kindness.  When  Tontile 
augo  came  home,  I  told  him  that  a  Wyandot  had  been  at 
camp,  and  that  I  gave  him  a  shoulder  of  venison ;  he  said 
that  was  very  well,  and  I  suppose  you  gave  him  also  sugar 
and  bear's  oil,  to  eat  with  his  venison.  I  told  him  I  did  not ; 
as  the  sugar  and  bear's  oil  was  down  in  the  canoe,  I  did  not 
go  for  it.  He  replied,  you  have  behaved  just  like  a  Dutch 
man.4  Do  you  not  know  that  when  strangers  come  to  our 

4)  It  is  stated  in  a  foot  note  that  "the  Dutch  he  called  Skoharehaugo, 
which  took  its  derivation  from  a  Dutch  settlement,  Skoharey" — probably 
Scoharie.  It  will  be  remembered  that  these  Caughnewagas  were  a  mixed 
race  of  Mohicans  and  Iroquois — otherwise  the  name  of  a  remote  settlement 
in  New  York  would  be  unknown  to  an  Ohio  Indian. 


96  IIISTOllY    01?   OHIO. 

camp,  we  ought  always  to  give  them  the  best  we  have.  I 
acknowledged  that  I  was  wrong.  He  said  that  he  could 
excuse  this,  as  I  was  but  young,  but  I  must  learn  to  behave 
like  a  warrior,  and  do  great  things,  and  never  be  found  in 
any  such  little  actions. 

"  The  lake  being  again  calm,  we  proceeded,  and  arrived 
safe  at  Sunyendeand,  which  was  a  Wyandot  town,  that  lay 
upon  a  small  creek  which  empties  into  the  little  lake  below 
the  mouth  of  Sandusky. 

"  The  town  was  about  eighty  rood  above  the  mouth  of  the 
creek,  on  the  south  side  of  a  large  plain,  on  which  timber 
grew,  and  nothing  more  but  grass  or  nettles.  In  some  pla 
ces  there  were  large  flats,  where  nothing  but  grass  grew, 
about  three  feet  high  when  grown,  and  in  other  places  noth 
ing  but  nettles,  very  rank,  where  the  soil  is  extremely  rich  and 
loose — here  they  planted  corn.  In  this  town,  there  were 
also  French  traders,  who  purchased  our  skins  and  fur,  and 
we  all  got  new  clothes,  paint,  tobacco,  &c. 

"After  I  had  got  my  new  clothes,  and  my  head  done  off 
like  a  redheaded  woodpecker,  I,  in  company  with  a  number 
of  young  Indians,  went  down  to  the  cornfield,  to  see  the 
squaws  at  work.  When  we  came  there,  they  asked  me  to 
take  a  hoe,  which  I  did,  and  hoed  for  some  time.  The 
squaws  applauded  me  as  a  good  hand  at  the  business ;  but 
when  I  returned  to  the  town,  the  old  men  hearing  of  what  I 
had  done,  chid  me,  and  said  that  I  was  adopted  in  the  place 
of  a  great  man,  and  must  not  hoe  corn  like  a  squaw.  They 
never  had  occasion  to  reprove  me  for  anything  like  this 
again ;  as  I  never  was  extremely  fond  of  work,  I  readily 
complied  with  their  orders. 

"As  the  Indians,  on  their  return  from  their  winter  hunt, 
bring  in  with  them  large  quantities  of  bear's  oil,  sugar,  dried 


OHIO    ONE   HUNDRED    YEARS    SINCE.  97 

venison,  &c.,  at  times  they  have  plenty,  and  do  not  spare 
eating  or  giving — thus  they  make  away  with  their  provision 
as  quick  as  possible.  They  have  no  such  thing  as  regulai 
meals,  breakfast,  dinner  or  supper ;  but  if  any  one,  even  the 
town  folks,  would  go  to  the  same  house  several  times  in  one 
day,  he  would  be  invited  to  eat  of  the  best — and  with  them 
it  is  bad  manners  to  refuse  to  eat  when  it  is  offered.  If  they 
will  not  eat,  it  is  interpreted  as  a  symptom  of  displeasure,  or 
that  the  persons  refusing  to  eat  were  angry  with  those 
who  invited  them. 

"At  this  time,  hominy,  plentifully  mixed  with  bear's  oil 
and  sugar,  is  what  they  offer  to  every  one  who  comes  in  any 
time  of  the  day ;  and  so  they  go  on  until  their  sugar,  bear's 
oil  and  venison  is  all  gone,  and  then  they  have  to  eat  hominy 
by  itself  without  bread,  salt  or  any  thing  else ;  yet  still  they 
invite  every  one  that  comes  in,  to  eat  whilst  they  have  any 
thing  to  give.  It  is  thought  a  shame  not  to  invite  people  to 
eat,  while  they  have  any  thing ;  but  if  they  can,  in  truth, 
only  say  we  have  got  nothing  to  eat,  this  is  accepted  as  an 
honorable  apology.  All  the  hunters  and  warriors  continued 
in  town  about  six  weeks  after  we  came  in ;  they  spent  this 
time  in  painting,  going  from  house  to  house,  eating,  smoking, 
and  playing  at  a  game  resembling  dice,  or  hustle  cap.  They 
put  a  number  of  plum  stones  in  a  small  bowl ;  one  side  of 
each  stone  is  black,  and  the  other  white ;  they  then  shake  or 
hustle  the  bowl,  calling  hits,  hits,  hits,  honesy,  honesy,  re-go, 
rego ;  which  signifies  calling  for  white  or  black,  or  what 
they  wish  to  turn  up;  they  then  turn  the  bowl,  and  count 
the  whites  and  blacks.  Some  were  beating  their  kind  of 
drum  [described  elsewhere  as  "  a  short  hollow  gum,  closed 
at  one  end,  with  water  in  it,  and  parchment  stretched  over 
the  end  thereof,  which  they  beat  with  one  stick"]  and  sing- 


98  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

ing ;  others  were  employed  in  playing  on  a  sort  of  flute, 
made  of  hollow  cane ;  and  others  playing  on  the  jews  harp. 
Some  part  of  this  time  was  also  taken  up  in  attending  the 
council-house,  where  the  chiefs,  and  as  many  others  as  chose, 
attended:  and  at  night  they  were  frequently  employed  in 
singing  and  dancing.  Towards  the  last  of  this  time,  which 
was  in  June,  1750,  they  were  all  engaged  in  preparing  to 
go  to  war  against  the  frontiers  of  Virginia :  when  they  were 
equipped,  they  went  through  their  ceremonies,  sung  their 
war  songs,  &c.  They  all  marched  oft',  from  fifteen  to  sixty 
years  of  age :  and  some  boys,  only  twelve  years  old,  were 
equipped  with  their  bows  and  arrows,  and  went  to  war :  so 
that  none  were  left  in  town  but  squaws  and  children,  except 
myself,  one  very  old  man,  and  another  about  fifty  years  of 
age,  who  was  lame. 

"  The  Indians  were  then  in  great  hopes  that  they  would 
drive  all  the  Virginians  over  the  lake,  which  is  all  the  name 
they  knew  for  the  sea.  They  had  some  cause  for  this  hope, 
because  at  this  time  the  Americans  were  altogether  unac 
quainted  with  war  of  any  kind,  and  consequently  very  unfit 
to  stand  their  hand  with  such  subtle  enemies  as  the  Indians 
were.  The  two  old  Indians  asked  me  if  I  did  not  think  that 
the  Indians  and  French  would  subdue  all  America  except 
New  England,  which  they  said  they  had  tried  in  old  times. 
I  told  them  I  thought  not ;  they  said  they  had  already  drove 
them  all  out  of  the  mountains,  and  had  chiefly  laid  waste  the 
great  valley  betwixt  the  North  and  South  mountain,  from 
Potomac  to  James  River,  which  is  a  considerable  part  of  the 
best  land  in  Virginia,  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania,  and  that 
the  white  people  appeared  to  them  like  fools  :  they  could 
neither  guard  against  surprise,  run,  nor  fight.  These,  they 
said,  were  their  reasons  for  saying  that  they  would  subdue 


OHIO    ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS    SINCE.  99 

the  whites.  They  asked  me  to  offer  my  reasons  for  my  opin 
ion,  and  told  me  to  speak  my  mind  freely.  I  told  them  that 
the  white  people  to  the  east  were  very  numerous,  like  the 
trees,  and  though  they  appeared  to  them  to  be  fools,  as  they 
were  riot  acquainted  with  their  way  of  war,  yet  they  were  not 
fools ;  therefore,  after  some  time  they  will  learn  your  mode 
of  war,  and  turn  upon  you,  or  at  least  defend  themselves.  I 
found  that  the  old  men  themselves  did  not  believe  they  could 
conquer  America,  yet  they  were  willing  to  propagate  the  idea 
in  order  to  encourage  the  young  men  to  go  to  war. 

"  When  the  warriors  left  this  town  we  had  neither  meat, 
sugar  or  bear's  oil  left.  All  that  we  had  then  to  live  on  was 
corn  pounded  into  coarse  meal  or  small  hominy — this  they 
boiled  in  water,  which  appeared  like  well  thickened  soup, 
without  salt  or  anything  else.  For  some  time  we  had  plenty 
of  this  kind  of  hominy  ;  at  length  we  were  brought  to  very 
short  allowance,  and  as  the  warriors  did  not  return  as  soon 
as  they  expected,  we  were  in  a  starving  condition,  and  but 
one  gun  in  the  town  and  very  little  ammunition.  The  old 
lame  Wyandot  concluded  that  he  would  go  a  hunting  in  the 
canoe  and  take  me  with  him,  and  try  to  kill  deer  in  the 
water,  as  it  was  then  watering  time.  We  went  up  Sandusky 
a  few  miles,  then  turned  up  a  creek  and  encamped.  We 
had  lights  prepared,  as  we  were  to  hunt  in  the  night,  and 
also  a  piece  of  bark  and  sonic  bushes  set  up  in  the  canoe,  in 
order  to  conceal  ourselves  from  the  deer.  A  little  boy  that 
was  with  us  held  the  light,  I  worked  the  canoe,  and  the  old 
man  who  had  his  gun  loaded  with  large  shot,  when  we  came 
near  the  deer  fired,  and  in  this  manner  killed  three  deer  in 
part  of  one  night.  We  went  to  our  fire,  ate  heartily,  and  in 
the  morning  returned  to  town,  in  order  to  relieve  the  hungry 
and  distressed. 


100  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

"  When  we  came  to  town  the  children  were  crying  bitterly 
on  account  of  pinching  hunger.  We  delivered  what  we  had 
taken,  and  though  it  was  but  little  among  so  many,  yet  it  was 
divided  according  to  the  strictest  rules  of  justice.  We 
immediately  set  out  for  another  hunt,  but  before  we  returned 
a  party  of  the  warriors  had  come  in,  and  brought  with  them 
on  horseback  a  quantity  of  meat.  These  warriors  had  divi 
ded  into  different  parties,  and  all  struck  at  different  places  in 
Augusta  county.  They  brought  in  with  them  a  considerable 
number  of  scalps,  prisoners,  horses  and  other  plunder.  One 
of  the  parties  brought  in  with  them  one  Arthur  Campbell.  As 
the  Wyandots  at  Sunyendeand  and  those  at  Detroit  were  con 
nected,  Mr.  Campbell  was  taken  to  Detroit ;  but  he  remained 
some  time  with  me  in  this  town ;  his  company  was  very 
agreeable  and  I  was  sorry  when  he  left  me.  During  his 
stay  at  Sunyendeand  he  borrowed  my  Bible,  and  made  some 
very  pertinent  remarks  on  what  he  read.  One  passage, 
where  it  is  said,  '  It  is  good  for  a  man  that  he  bear  the  yoke 
in  his  youth.'  He  said  we  ought  to  be  resigned  to  the  will 
of  Providence,  as  we  were  now  bearing  the  yoke  in  our  youth. 
Mr.  Campbell  appeared  to  be  about  sixteen  or  seventeen 
years  of  age. 

"  There  was  a  number  of  prisoners  brought  in  by  these 
parties,  and  when  they  were  made  to  run  the  gauntlet,  I 
went  and  told  them  how  they  were  to  act.  One  John  Sav 
age  was  brought  in,  and  a  middle  aged  man  of  about  forty 
years  old.  He  was  to  run  the  gauntlet.  I  told  him  what  he 
had  to  do ;  and  after  this  I  fell  into  one  of  the  ranks  with  the 
Indians,  shouting  and  yelling  like  them ;  and  as  they  were 
not  very  severe  on  him,  as  he  passed  me  I  hit  him  with  a 
piece  of  a  pumpkin,  which  pleased  the  Indians  much,  but 
hurt  my  feelings. 


101 

"  About  the  time  that  these  warrfars '  cam*  in,'th<3  grbcn 
corn  was  beginning  to  be  of  use,  so  that  we1  had  either  green 
corn  or  venison,  and  sometimes  both,  which  was  comparatively 
high  living.  When  we  could  have  plenty  of  green  corn,  or 
roasting  ears,  the  hunters  became  lazy,  and  spent  their  time, 
as  already  mentioned,  in  singing  and  dancing,  &c.  They 
appeared  to  be  fulfilling  the  Scriptures  beyond  those  who 
profess  to  believe  them,  in  that  of  taking  no  thought  of  to 
morrow  ;  and  also  in  love,  peace  and  friendship  together, 
without  dispute.  In  this  respect  they  shame  those  who  pro 
fess  Christianity. 

"  In  this  manner  we  lived  until  October ;  then  the  geese, 
swans,  ducks,  cranes,  &c.,  came  from  the  north  and  alighted 
on  this  little  lake  without  number  or  innumerable.  Sun- 
yendeand  is  a  remarkable  place  for  fish  in  the  spring,  and 
fowl  both  in  the  fall  and  spring. 

"  As  our  hunters  were  now  tired  with  indolence,  and  fond 
of  their  own  kind  of  exercise,  they  all  turned  out  to  fowling, 
and  in  this  could  scarce  miss  of  success ;  so  that  we  had  now 
plenty  of  hominy  and  the  best  of  fowls ;  and  sometimes,  as  a 
rarity,  we  had  a  little  bread  made  of  Indian  corn  meal, 
pounded  in  a  hominy  block,  mixed  with  boiled  beans,  and 
baked  into  cakes  under  the  ashes. 

"  This  with  us  was  called  good  living,  though  not  equal  to 
our  fat  roasted  and  boiled  venison,  when  we  went  to  the  woods 
in  the  fall ;  or  bear's  meat  and  beaver  in  the  winter ;  or  sugar, 
bear's  oil  and  dry  venison  in  the  spring. 

"  Sometime  in  October,  another  adopted  brother,  older 
than  Tontileaugo,  came  to  pay  us  a  visit  at  Sunyendeand, 
and  asked  me  to  take  a  hunt  with  him  on  Cayahaga.  As 
they  always  used  me  as  a  freeman,  and  gave  me  the  liberty 
of  choosing,  I  told  him  that  I  was  attached  to  Tontileaugo — 


102  JI1STOKY    OF   OHIO. 


before,  and  therefore  asked  some  time  to 
consider  this.  He  told  me  that  the  party  he  was  going  with 
would  not  be  along,  or  at  the  mouth  of  this  little  lake,  in  less 
than  six  days,  and  I  could  in  this  time  be  acquainted  with 
him,  and  judge  for  myself.  I  consulted  with  Tontileaugo  on 
this  occasion,  and  he  told  me  that  our  old  brother  Tecaughre- 
tanego,  (which  was  his  name,)  was  a  chief,  and  a  better  man 
than  he  was  ;  and  if  I  went  with  him  I  might  expect  to  be 
well  used  ;  but  he  said  I  might  do  as  I  pleased,  and  if  I  stayed 
he  would  use  me  as  he  had  done.  I  told  him  that  he  had 
acted  in  every  respect  as  a  brother  to  me  ;  yet  I  was  much 
pleased  with  my  old  brother's  conduct  and  conversation  ;  and 
as  he  was  going  to  a  part  of  the  country  I  had  never  been  in, 
I  wished  to  go  with  him.  He  said  that  he  was  perfectly 
willing. 

"  I  then  went  with  Tecaughretanego  to  the  mouth  of  the 
little  lake,  where  he  met  with  the  company  he  intended  going 
with,  which  was  composed  of  Caughnewagas  and  Ottawas. 
Here  I  was  introduced  to  a  Caughnewaga  sister,  and  others 
I  had  never  before  seen.  My  sister's  name  was  Mary, 
which  they  pronounced  Maully.  I  asked  Tecaughretanego 
how  it  came  that  she  had  an  English  name.  He  said  he  did 
not  know  that  it  was  an  English  name  ;  but  it  was  the  name 
the  priest  gave  her  when  she  was  baptized,  and  which  he  said 
was  the  name  of  the  mother  of  Jesus.  He  said  there  were 
a  great  many  of  the  Caughnewagas  and  Wyandots  that  were 
a  kind  of  half  Roman  Catholics  ;  but  as  for  himself,  he  said, 
that  the  priest  and  him  could  not  agree,  as  they  held  notions 
that  contradicted  both  sense  and  reason,  and  had  the  assu 
rance  to  tell  him  that  the  book  of  God  taught  them  these 
foolish  absurdities  ;  but  he  could  not  believe  that  the  great 
and  good  Spirit  ever  taught  them  any  such  nonsense  ;  and 


OHIO    ONE   HUNDRED    YEARS    SINCE.  103 

therefore  he  concluded  that  the  Indians'  old  religion  was 
better  than  tliis  new  way  of  worshipping  God. 

"  The  Ottawas  have  a  very  useful  kind  of  tents  which  they 
carry  with  them,  made  of  flags,  plaited  and  stitched  together 
in  a  very  artful  manner,  so  as  to  turn  the  rain  and  wind  well 
— each  mat  is  made  fifteen  feet  long  and  about  five  feet 
broad.  In  order  to  erect  this  kind  of  tent,  they  cut  a 
number  of  long  straight  poles,  which  they  drive  in  the  ground, 
in  the  form  of  a  circle,  leaning  inwards  ;  then  they  spread  the 
mats  on  these  poles,  beginning  at  the  bottom  and  extending 
up,  leaving  only  a  hole  in  the  top  uncovered — and  this  hole 
answers  the  place  of  a  chimney.  They  make  fire  of  dry  split 
wood  in  the  middle,  and  spread  down  bark  mats  and  skins  for 
bedding,  on  which  they  sleep  in  a  crooked  posture,  all  round 
the  fire,  as  the  length  of  their  beds  will  not  admit  of  stretch 
ing  themselves.  In  place  of  a  door  they  lift  up  one  end  of  a 
mat  and  creep  in,  and  let  the  mat  fall  doAvn  behind  them. 

"  These  tents  are  warm  and  dry,  and  tolerably  clear  of 
smoke.  Their  lumber  they  keep  under  birch-bark  canoes, 
which  they  carry  out  and  turn  up  for  a  shelter,  where  they 
keep  everything  from  the  rain.  Nothing  is  in  the  tents 
but  themselves  and  their  bedding. 

"  This  company  had  four  birch  canoes  and  four  tents.  "We 
were  kindly  received,  and  they  gave  us  plenty  of  hominy  and 
wild  fowl  boiled  and  roasted.  As  the  geese,  ducks,  swans, 
&c.,  here  are  well  grain  fed,  they  were  remarkably  fat,  espe 
cially  the  green  necked  ducks.  The  wild  fowl  here  feed  upon 
a  kind  of  wild  rice  that  grows  spontaneously  in  the  shallow  wa 
ter,  or  wet  places  along  the  sides  or  in  the  corners  of  the  lakes. 

"As  the  wind  was  high,  and  we  could  not  proceed  on  our 
voyage,  we  remained  here  several  days,  and  killed  abundance 
of  wild  fowl,  and  a  number  of  raccoons. 


104  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

"  When  a  company  of  Indians  are  moving  together  on  the 
lake,  as  it  is  at  this  time  of  the  year  often  dangerous  sailing, 
the  old  men  hold  a  council ;  and  when  they  agree  to  embark, 
every  one  is  engaged  immediately  in  making  ready,  without 
offering  one  word  against  the  measure,  though  the  lake  may 
be  boisterous  and  horrid.  One  morning,  though  the  wind 
appeared  to  me  to  be  as  high  as  in  days  past,  the  billows 
raging,  yet  the  call  was  given  yohohyolioli,  which  was  quickly 
answered  by  all — ooli-ooh,  which  signifies  agreed.  We  were 
all  instantly  engaged  in  preparing  to  start,  and  had  consider 
able  difficulties  in  embarking. 

"  As  soon  as  we  got  into  our  canoes  we  fell  to  paddling 
with  all  our  might,  making  out  from  the  shore.  Though 
these  sort  of  canoes  ride  waves  beyond  what  could  be  ex 
pected,  yet  the  water  several  times  dashed  into  them.  When 
we  got  out  about  half  a  mile  from  shore,  we  hoisted  sail,  and 
as  it  was  nearly  a  west  wind,  we  then  seemed  to  ride  the 
waves  with  ease,  and  went  on  at  a  rapid  rate.  We  then  all 
laid  down  our  paddles,  excepting  one  that  steered,  and  there 
was  no  water  dashed  into  our  canoes  until  we  came  near  the 
shore  again.  We  sailed  about  sixty  miles  that  day  and  en 
camped  some  time  before  night. 

"  The  next  day  we  again  embarked  and  went  on  very  well 
for  some  time  ;  but  the  lake  being  boisterous  and  the  wind 
not  fair,  we  were  obliged  to  make  to  shore,  which  we  accom 
plished  with  hard  work  and  some  difficulty  in  landing.  The 
next  morning  a  council  was  held  by  the  old  men. 

"As  we  had  this  day  to  pass  by  a  long  precipice  of  rocks 
on  the  shore  about  nine  miles,  which  rendered  it  impossible  for 
us  to  land,  though  the  wind  was  high  and  the  lake  rough, 
yet,  as  it  was  fair,  we  were  all  ordered  to  embark.  We 
wrought  ourselves  out  from  the  shore  and  hoisted  sail  (what 


OHIO    ONE   HUNDRED    YEARS    SINCE.  105 

wo  used  in  place  of  sail  cloth  were  our  tent-mats,  which 
answered  the  purpose  very  well)  and  went  on  for  some  time 
with  a  fair  wind,  until  we  were  opposite  to  the  precipice,  and 
then  it  turned  towards  the  shore,  and  we  began  to  fear  we 
should  be  cast  upon  the  rocks.  Two  of  the  canoes  were 
considerably  farther  out  from  the  rocks  than  the  canoe  I  was 
in.  Those  who  were  farthest  out  in  the  lake  did  not  let 
down  their  sails  until  they  had  passed  the  precipice  ;  but  as 
we  were  nearer  the  rock,  we  were  obliged  to  lower  our  sails 
and  paddle  with  all  our  might.  With  much  difficulty  we 
cleared  ourselves  of  the  rock  and  landed.  As  the  other 
canoes  had  landed  before  us,  there  were  immediately  runners 
sent  off  to  see  if  we  were  all  safely  landed. 

"  This  night  the  wind  fell,  and  the  next  morning  the  lake 
was  tolerably  calm,  and  we  embarked  without  difficulty,  and 
paddled  along  near  the  shore,  until  we  came  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Cayahaga,  which  empties  into  Lake  Erie  on  the  south 
side  betwixt  Canesadooharie  and  Presque  Isle. 

"  We  turned  up  Cayahaga  and  encamped,  where  we  staid 
and  hunted  for  several  days ;  and  so  we  kept  moving  and 
hunting  until  we  came  to  the  forks  of  Cayahaga. 

"  This  is  a  very  gentle  river,  and  but  few  ripples,  or  swift 
running  places,  from  the  mouth  to  the  forks.  Deer  here 
were  tolerably  plenty,  large  and  fat ;  but  bear  and  other 
game  scarce.  The  upland  is  hilly,  and  principally  second 
and  third  rate  land ;  the  timber  chiefly  black  oak,  white  oak, 
hickory,  dog-wood,  &c.  The  bottoms  are  rich  and  large, 
and  the  timber  is  walnut,  locust,  mulberry,  sugar-tree,  red 
haw,  black  haw,  wild  apple-trees,  &c.  The  west  branch  of 
this  river  interlocks  with  the  east  branch  of  Muskingum,  and 
the  east  branch  with  the  Big  Beaver  creek  that  empties  into 
the  Ohio  about  thirty  miles  below  Pittsburgh. 


10G  IIISTOllY    OF   OHIO. 

"From  the  forks  of  Cayahaga  to  the  east  branch  of  Mus 
kingum,  there  is  a  carrying  place,  where  the  Indians  carry 
their  canoes,  &c.,  from  the  waters  of  Lake  Erie  into  the 
waters  of  the  Ohio. 

"  From  the  forks,  I  went  over  with  some  hunters  to  the 
east  branch  of  Muskingum,  where  they  killed  several  deer, 
a  number  of  beavers,  and  returned  heavy  laden  with  skins 
and  meat,  which  we  carried  on  our  backs,  as  we  had  no 
horses. 

"The  land  here  is  chiefly  second  and  third  rate,  and  the 
timber  chiefly  oak  and  hickory.  A  little  above  the  forks,  on 
the  east  branch  of  Cayahaga,  are  considerable  rapids,  very 
rocky  for  some  distance,  but  no  perpendicular  falls." 

From  the  east  branch  of  the  Muskingum,  the  party  went 
forty  miles  northeast  to  Beaver  creek,  "  near  a  little  lake  or 
pond  which  is  about  two  miles  long  and  one  broad,  and  a  re 
markable  place  for  beaver."  After  various  adventures  in 
pursuit  of  beaver  and  other  game,  they  went  in  February, 
1757,  to  the  Big  Beaver,  and  in  March  returned  to  the  forks 
of  Cuyahoga.  Here  occurred  a  lesson  upon  profane  swear 
ing,  which  is  not  unworthy  of  repetition : 

"  I  remember  that  Tecaughretanego,  when  something  dis 
pleased  him,  said  '  God  damn  it.'  I  asked  him  if  he  knew 
what  he  then  said  ?  He  said  he  did,  and  mentioned  one  of 
their  degrading  expressions,  which  he  supposed  to  be  the 
meaning,  or  something  like  the  meaning  of  what  he  had  said. 
I  told  him  that  it  did  not  bear  the  least  resemblance  to  it ; 
that  what  he  had  said  was  calling  upon  the  Great  Spirit  to 
punish  the  object  he  was  displeased  with.  He  stood  for  some 
time  amazed,  and  then  said,  if  this  be  the  meaning  of  these 
words,  what  sort  of  people  are  the  whites  ?  When  the  tra 
ders  were  among  us,  these  words  seemed  to  be  intermixed 


OHIO    ONE    HUNDKED    YEARS    SINCE.  107 

with  all  their  discourse.  He  told  me  to  reconsider  what  I 
had  said,  for  he  thought  I  must  be  mistaken  in  my  definition ; 
if  I  was  not  mistaken,  he  said  the  traders  applied  these 
words  not  only  wickedly,  but  oftentimes  very  foolishly,  and 
contrary  to  sense  or  reason.  He  said  he  remembered  once 
of  a  trader's  accidentally  breaking  his  gun  lock,  and  on  that 
occasion  calling  out  aloud,  4  God  damn  it ' — surely,  said  he, 
the  gun  lock  was  not  an  object  worthy  of  punishment  for 
Owananeeyo,  or  the  Great  Spirit ;  he  also  observed  the  tra 
ders  often  used  this  expression  when  they  were  in  a  good 
humor  and  not  displeased  with  any  thing.  I  acknowledged 
that  the  traders  used  this  expression  very  often,  in  a  most 
irrational,  inconsistent  and  impious  manner ;  yet  I  still  as 
serted  that  I  had  given  the  true  meaning  of  these  words. 
He  replied,  if  so,  the  traders  are  as  bad  as  Oonasharoona,  or 
the  underground  inhabitants,  which  is  the  name  they  give  to 
devils,  as  they  entertain  a  notion  that  their  place  of  residence 
is  under  the  earth." 

Making  a  "  large  chestnut  canoe,"  the  party  "  embarked," 
had  an  agreeable  passage  down  the  Cuyahoga  and  along  the 
south  side  of  Lake  Erie,  until  tney  passed  the  mouth  of  San- 
dusky  ;  then  the  wind  arose,  and  they  put  in  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Miami  of  the  Lake,  at  Cedar  Point,  and  sailed  thence 
in  a  few  days  for  Detroit.  After  remaining  in  the  Wyandot 
and  Ottawa  villages  opposite  Fort  Detroit  until  November,  a 
number  of  families  prepared  for  their  winter  hunt,  and  agreed 
to  cross  the  lake  together.  Here  occurs  a  description  of  the 
Island  Region  of  Lake  Erie  : 

"  We  encamped  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  the  first  night, 
and  a  council  was  held  whether  we  should  cross  through  by 
the  three  islands,  [meaning,  of  course,  East  Sister,  Middle 
Sister  and  Yvrest  Sister,]  or  coast  round  the  lake.  These 


108  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

islands  lie  in  a  line  across  the  lake,  and  are  just  in  sight  of 
each  other.  Some  of  the  Wyandots  or  Ottawas  frequently 
make  their  winter  hunt  on  these  islands  ;  though  excepting 
wild  fowl  and  fish,  there  is  scarcely  any  game  here  but  rac 
coons,  which  are  amazingly  plenty  and  exceedingly  large  and 
fat,  as  they  feed  upon  the  wild  rice,  which  grows  in  abun 
dance  in  wet  places  round  these  islands.  It  is  said  that  each 
hunter,  in  one  winter,  will  catch  one  thousand  raccoons, 

"It  is  a  received  opinion  among  the  Indians,  that  the 
snakes  and  raccoons  are  transmigratory,  and  that  a  great 
many  of  the  snakes  turn  raccoons  every  fall,  and  the  rac 
coons  snakes  every  spring.  This  notion  is  founded  on  obser 
vations  made  on  the  snakes  and  raccoons  in  this  island. 

"  As  the  raccoons  here  lodge  in  rocks,  the  trappers  make 
their  wooden  traps  at  the  mouth  of  the  holes ;  and  as  they 
go  daily  to  look  at  their  traps,  in  the  winter  season  they 
commonly  find  them  filled  with  raccoons  ;  but  in  the  spring, 
or  when  the  frost  is  out  of  the  ground,  they  say  they  find 
their  traps  filled  with  large  rattle-snakes  ;  and  therefore  con 
clude  that  the  raccoons  are  transformed.  They  also  say  that 
the  reason  why  they  are  so  plenty  in  the  winter,  is,  every 
fall  the  snakes  turn  raccoons  again. 

"  I  told  them  that  though  I  had  never  landed  on  any  of 
these  islands,  yet  from  the  numerous  accounts  I  had  received, 
I  believed  that  both  snakes  and  raccoons  were  plenty  there ; 
but  no  doubt  they  all  remained  there  both  summer  and  win 
ter,  only  the  snakes  were  not  to  be  seen  in  the  latter ;  yet  I 
did  not  believe  that  they  were  transmigratory.  These  is 
lands  are  but  seldom  visited,  because  early  in  the  spring  and 
late  in  the  fall  it  is  dangerous  sailing  in  their  bark  canoes ; 
and  in  the  summer  they  are  so  infested  with  various  kinds  of 
serpents  (but  chiefly  rattle-snakes)  that  it  is  dangerous  landing. 


OHIO    ONE   HUNDRED    YEARS    SINCE.  109 

"  I  shall  now  quit  this  digression  and  return  to  the  result 
of  the  council  at  the  niouth  of  the  river.  We  concluded  to 
coast  it  round  the  lake,  and  in  two  days  we  came  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Miami  of  the  Lake,  and  landed  on  Cedar  Point, 
where  we  remained  several  days.  Here  we  held  a  council, 
and  concluded  we  would  take  a  driving  hunt  in  concert  and 
in  partnership. 

"  The  river  in  this  place  is  about  a  mile  broad,  and  as  it 
and  the  lake  form  a  land  of  neck,  which  terminates  in  a 
point,  all  the  hunters,  (which  were  fifty-three,)  went  up  the 
river,  and  we  scattered  ourselves  from  the  river  to  the  lake. 
When  first  we  began  to  move,  we  were  not  in  sight  of  each 
other,  but  as  we  all  raised  the  yell,  we  could  move  regularly 
together  by  the  noise.  At  length  we  came  in  sight  of  each 
other,  and  appeared  to  be  marching  in  good  order.  Before 
we  came  to  the  point,  both  the  squaws  and  boys  in  the 
canoes  were  scattered  up  the  river  and  along  the  lake,  to 
prevent  the  deer  from  making  their  escape  by  water.  As 
we  advanced  near  the  point  the  guns  began  to  crack  slowly, 
and  after  some  time  the  firing  was  like  a  little  engagement. 
The  squaws  and  boys  were  busy  tomahawking  the  deer  in 
the  water,  and  we  shooting  them  down  on  the  land.  We 
killed  in  all  about  thirty  deer,  though  a  great  many  made 
their  escape  by  water. 

"  We  had  now  great  feasting  and  rejoicing,  as  we  had 
plenty  of  hominy,  venison,  and  wild  fowl.  The  geese  at 
this  time  appeared  to  be  preparing  to  move  southward.  It 
might  be  asked  what  is  meant  by  the  geese  preparing  to 
move.  The  Indians  represent  them  as  holding  a  great 
council  at  this  time  concerning  the  weather,  in  order  to  con 
clude  upon  a  day,  that  they  may  all  at  or  near  one  time 
leave  the  northern  lakes,  and  wing  their  way  to  the  southern 


110  HISTORY   OF    OHIO. 

bays.  When  matters  are  brought  to  a  conclusion,  and  the 
time  appointed  that  they  are  to  take  wing,  then  they  say  a 
great  number  of  expresses  are  sent  off,  in  order  to  let  the 
different  tribes  know  the  result  of  this  council,  that  they  may 
all  be  in  readiness  to  move  at  the  time  appointed.  As  there 
was  a  great  commotion  among  the  geese  at  this  time,  it  would 
appear  from  their  actions,  that  such  a  council  had  been  held. 
Certain  it  is,  that  they  are  led  by  instinct  to  act  in  concert, 
and  to  move  off  regularly  after  their  leaders. 

"Here  our  company  separated.  The  chief  part  of  them 
went  up  the  Miami  river,  that  empties  into  Lake  Erie  at 
Cedar  Point,  whilst  we  proceeded  on  our  journey  in  company 
with  Tecaughretanego,  Tontileaugo,  and  two  families  of  the 
Wyandots. 

"As  cold  weather  was  now  approaching,  we  began  to  feel 
the  doleful  effects  of  extravagantly  and  foolishly  spending  the 
large  quantity  of  beaver  we  had  taken  in  our  last  winter's 
hunt.  We  were  all  nearly  in  the  same  circumstances ; 
scarcely  one  had  a  shirt  to  his  back ;  but  each  of  us  had  an 
old  blanket  which  we  belted  round  us  in  the  day,  and  slept 
in  at  night,  with  a  deer  or  bear  skin  under  us  for  our  bed. 

"When  we  came  to  the  falls  of  Sandusky,  we  buried  our 
birch  bark  canoes  as  usual,  at  a  large  burying  place  for  that 
purpose,  a  little  below  the  falls.  At  this  place  the  river  falls 
about  eight  feet  over  a  rock,  but  not  perpendicularly.  With 
much  difficulty  we  pushed  up  our  wooden  canoes;  some  of  us 
went  up  the  river,  and  the  rest  by  land  with  the  horses,  until 
WTC  came  to  the  great  meadows  or  prairies  that  lie  between 
Sandusky  and  Scioto. 

"  When  we  came  to  this  place,  we  met  with  some  Ottawa 
hunters,  and  agreed  with  them  to  take  what  they  call  a  ring 
hunt,  in  partnership.  We  waited  until  we  expected  rain 


OHIO    ONE   HUNDRED    YEARS    SINCE.  Ill 

was  near  falling  to  extinguish  the  fire,  and  then  we  kindled 
a  large  circle  in  the  prairie.  At  this  time,  or  before  the 
bucks  began  to  run,  a  great  number  of  deer  lay  concealed  in 
the  grass,  in  the  day,  and  moved  about  in  the  night;  but  as 
the  fire  burned  in  towards  the  centre  of  the  circle,  the  deer 
fled  before  the  fire ;  the  Indians  were  scattered  also  at  some 
distance  before  the  fire,  and  shot  them  down  every  opportu 
nity,  which  was  very  frequent,  especially  as  the  circle  became 
small.  When  we  came  to  divide  the  deer,  there  were  about 
ten  to  each  hunter,  which  were  all  killed  in  a  few  hours. 
The  rain  did  not  come  on  that  night  to  put  out  the  outside 
circle  of  the  fire,  and  as  the  wind  arose,  it  extended  through 
the  whole  prairie,  which  was  about  fifty  miles  in  length,  and 
in  some  places  nearly  twenty  in  breadth.  This  put  an  end 
to  our  ringhunting  this  season,  and  was  in  other  respects  an 
injury  to  us  in  the  hunting  business ;  so  that  upon  the  whole, 
we  received  more  harm  than  benefit  by  our  rapid  hunting 
frolic.  We  then  moved  from  the  north  end  of  the  glades, 
and  encamped  at  the  carrying  place. 

"  This  place  is  in  the  plains,  betwixt  a  creek  that  empties 
into  Sandusky,  and  one  that  runs  into  Scioto ;  and  at  the 
time  of  high  water,  or  the  spring  season,  there  is  but  about 
one  half  mile  of  portage,  and  that  very  level  and  clear  of 
rocks,  timber  or  stones,  so  that  with  a  little  digging,  there 
may  be  water  carriage  the  whole  way  from  Scioto  to  Lake 
Erie. 

"  From  the  mouth  of  Sandusky  to  the  falls,  is  chiefly  first 
rate  land,  lying  flat  or  level,  intermixed  with  large  bodies  of 
clear  meadows,  where  the  grass  is  exceeding  rank,  and  in 
many  places  three  or  four  feet  high.  The  timber  is  oak, 
hickory,  walnut,  cherry,  black  ash,  elm,  sugar  tree,  buckeye, 
locust  and  booeii.  In  some  places  there  is  wet  timber  land 


112  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

— the  timber  in  these  places  is  chiefly  water-ash,  sycamore 
or  button-wood." 

"  From  the  falls  to  the  prairies,  the  land  lies  well  to  the 
sun ;  it  is  neither  too  flat  nor  too  hilly,  and  is  chiefly  first 
rate ;  the  timber  nearly  the  same  as  below  the  falls,  except 
ing  the  water-ash.  There  are  also  here  some  plats  of  beech 
land,  that  appear  to  be  second  rate,  as  they  frequently  pro 
duce  spicewood.  The  prairie  appears  to  be  a  tolerably  fer 
tile  soil,  though  in  many  places  too  wet  for  cultivation ;  yet 
I  apprehend  it  would  produce  timber,  were  it  only  kept  from 
fire. 

"  The  Indians  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  squirrels  plant 
all  the  timber,  as  they  bury  a  number  of  nuts  for  food,  and 
only  one  at  a  place.  When  a  squirrel  is  killed,  the  various 
kinds  of  nuts  thus  buried,  will  grow. 

"I  have  observed  that  when  these  prairies  have  only 
escaped  fire  for  one  year,  near  where  a  single  tree  stood,  there 
was  a  young  growth  of  timber  supposed  to  be  planted  by  squir 
rels.  But  when  the  prairies  were  again  burned,  all  this  young 
growth  was  immediately  consumed ;  as  the  fire  rages  in  the 
grass  to  such  a  pitch  that  numbers  of  raccoons  are  thereby 
burned  to  death. 

"  On  the  west  side  of  the  prairie,  or  betwixt  that  and  the 
Scioto,  there  is  a  large  body  of  first  rate  land — the  timber, 
walnut,  locust,  sugar-tree,  buckeye,  cherry,  ash,  elm,  mul 
berry,  plum-trees,  spice-wood,  black  haw,  red  haw,  oak  and 
hickory." 

After  passing  the  winter  on  the  Olentangy,  a  tributary 
of  the  Scioto,  the  old  Indian  and  his  young  companion 
returned  and  proceeded  down  Sandusky,  killing  in  the  pas 
sage  "  four  bears  and  a  number  of  turkeys."  We  quote 
again : 


OHIO    ONE   HUNDRED    YEARS    SINCE.  113 

"  When  we  came  to  the  little  lake  at  the  mouth  of  Sandusky, 
we  called  at  a  Wyandot  town  that  was  then  there,  called 
Sunyendeand,  [he  speaks  as  if  it  was  a  first  visit,  whereas  we 
have  devoted  a  large  space  to  his  former  sojourn  there.] 
Here  we  diverted  ourselves  several  days  by  catching  rock 
fish  in  a  small  creek,  the  name  of  which  is  also  Sunyendeand, 
which  signifies  rock  fish.  They  fished  in  the  night  with  lights, 
and  struck  the  fish  with  gigs  or  spears.  The  rock  fish  there, 
when  they  begin  first  to  run  up  the  creek  to  spawn,  are 
exceedingly  fat,  sufficiently  so  to  fry  themselves.  The  first 
night  we  scarcely  caught  fish  enough  for  present  use  for  all 
that  was  in  the  town. 

"  The  next  morning  I  met  with  a  prisoner  at  this  place  by 
the  name  of  Thompson,  who  had  been  taken  from  Virginia. 
He  told  me  if  the  Indians  would  only  omit  disturbing  the 
fish  for  one  night,  he  could  catch  more  fish  than  the  whole 
town  could  make  use  of.  I  told  Mr.  Thompson  that  if  he 
knew  he  could  do  this,  that  I  would  use  my  influence  with 
the  Indians  to  let  the  fish  alone  for  one  night.  I  applied  to 
the  chiefs,  who  agreed  to  my  proposal,  and  said  they  were 
anxious  to  see  what  the  Great  Knife  (as  they  called  the  Vir 
ginian)  could  do.  Mr.  Thompson,  with  the  assistance  of 
some  other  prisoners,  set  to  work,  and  made  a  hoop  net  of 
elm  bark ;  they  then  cut  down  a  tree  across  the  creek,  and 
stuck  in  stakes  at  the  lower  side  of  it  to  prevent  the  fish  from 
passing  up,  leaving  only  a  gap  at  one  side  of  the  creek  ;  here 
he  sat  with  his  net,  and  when  he  felt  the  fish  touch  the  net 
he  drew  it  up,  and  frequently  would  haul  out  two  or  three 
rock  fish  that  would  weigh  about  five  or  six  pounds  each. 
He  continued  at  this  until  he  had  hauled  out  about  a  wagon 
load,  and  then  left  the  gap  open,  in  order  to  let  them  pass 
up,  for  they  could  not  go  far  on  account  of  the  shallow  water. 


114  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

Before  day  Mr.  Thompson  shut  it  up,  to  prevent  them  from 
passing  down,  in  order  to  let  the  Indians  have  some  diversion 
in  killing  them  in  daylight. 

"  When  the  news  of  the  fish  came  to  town,  the  Indians  all 
collected  and  with  surprise  beheld  the  large  heap  of  fish,  and 
applauded  the  ingenuity  of  the  Virginian.  When  they  saw 
the  number  of  them  that  were  confined  in  the  water  above 
the  tree,  the  young  Indians  ran  back  to  the  town,  and  in  a 
short  time  returned  with  their  spears,  gigs,  bows  and  arrows, 
&c.,  and  were  the  chief  part  of  that  day  engaged  in  killing 
rock  fish,  insomuch  that  we  had  more  than  we  could  use  or 
preserve.  As  we  had  no  salt  or  any  way  to  keep  them,  they 
lay  upon  the  banks,  and  after  some  time  great  numbers  of 
turkey-buzzards  and  eagles  collected  together  and  devoured 
them." 

But  enough  of  our  Ohio  Crusoe.  His  remaining  adven 
tures,  before  his  restoration  to  his  friends  in  1760,  consisted 
of  a  trip  to  Detroit,  another  hunt  up  Sandusky  and  down 
Scioto,  and  a  journey  to  Caughnewaga,  "a  very  ancient  In 
dian  town  about  nine  miles  above  Montreal,"  besides  an  im 
prisonment  of  four  months  in  Montreal.  This  picture  of 
northern  Ohio,  a  century  since,  has  the  merit  of  novelty  at 
least.  That  it  is  authentic,  there  can  be  no  doubt,  for  in 
several  historians  of  authority  occur  frequent  and  respectful 
reference  to  the  narrative  from  whose  pages  we  have  drawn 
so  copiously. 

The  geography  of  the  last  foregoing  paragraphs,  is  less 
difficult  of  explanation  than  in  the  first  portion  of  the  chap 
ter.  The  falls  of  Sandusky  are  doubtless  the  same  as  the 
apids  mentioned  in  the  treaty  of  Greenville,  near  the  site  of 
Fremont,  and  the  Sandusky  plains,  which  were  burnt  over  by 
.he  ring  hunt,  are  in  Marion,  Wyandot  and  Crawford  counties. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  SURRENDER  OF  THE  WESTERN  POSTS  TO  ENGLAND. 

THE  fall  of  Fort  Du  Quesne,  in  1758,  terminated  French 
dominion  upon  the  Ohio,  but  the  narrative  of  Forbes'  expe 
dition  against  that  important  stockade  is  incomplete,  if  the 
adventures  of  Charles  Frederic  Post,  the  Moravian  envoy  of 
Pennsylvania  to  the  Ohio  tribes,  were  entirely  omitted.  The 
Moravian  annals  first  mention  Post  as  laboring  at  Shekomeko, 
in  1743,  near  the  present  site  of  Poughkeepsie,  in  Eastern 
New  York.1  He  married  a  baptized  Indian  woman,  was 
imprisoned  in  1745,  on  an  unfounded  charge  of  instigating 
the  New  York  tribes  to  join  the  French,  suggested  by  efforts 
to  learn  their  dialects  ;  resumed  his  missionary  labors  among 
the  Connecticut  Indians,  and  finally  sojourned  in  Pennsylvania, 
when  his  influence  with  the  Delaware  chiefs  was  at  length 
recognized  by  the  colonial  authorities  as  their  most  efficient  me 
diation  with  the  Western  tribes.  He  was  accordingly  induced 
to  make  two  expeditions  into  the  heart  of  the  enemy's  coun 
try  in  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1758,  and  by  his  confer 
ences  with  the  representatives  of  eight  nations,  withheld  them 
from  an  attack  upon  Forbes'  expedition,  and  finally  concluded 
a  peace.  His  route  ascended  the  Susquehanna,  crossed  to 
the  Alleghany,  opposite  French  creek,  and  thence  to  a  town 
on  the  Big  Beaver  creek,  called  "  Kushkushkee,"  containing 
ninety  houses  and  two  hundred  Delaware  warriors.  The 
decisive  conference  was  held,  however,  opposite  Fort  Du 

1 )  History  of  Moravian  Missions,  Part  ii,  p.  37. 
(115) 


116  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

Quesne,  whither  the  savages  assured  Post  "  they  would  carry 
him  in  their  bosom,  and  he  need  fear  nothing  " — a  pledge 
which  was  honorably  redeemed.  On  the  24th  of  August, 
the  Moravian,  with  his  Indian  protectors,  reached  the  point 
opposite  the  fort,  where  followed  a  series  of  speeches,  expla 
nations  and  agreements.  At  this  interview,  though  resulting 
in  favor  of  an  union  with  England,  the  Indians  still  complained 
bitterly  of  the  disposition  which  the  whites  showed  in  claiming 
and  seizing  their  lands.  "  Why  did  you  not  fight  your  bat 
tles  at  home,  or  on  the  sea,  instead  of  coming  into  our  coun 
try  to  fight  them  ?"  they  asked  again  and  again,  and  were 
mournful  when  they  thought  of  the  future.  "  Your  heart  is 
good,"  they  said  to  Post,  "you,  speak  sincerely;  but  we 
know  there  is  always  a  great  number  who  wish  to  get  rich ; 
they  never  have  enough ;  look !  we  do  not  want  to  be  rich, 
and  take  away  what  others  have."  "  The  white,  people  think 
we  have  no  brains  in  our  head ;  that  they  are  big,  and 
we  a  little  handful ;  but  remember,  when  you  hunt  for  a  rat 
tlesnake  you  cannot  find  it,  and  perhaps  it  will  bite  you 
before  you  see  it." 

The  humble  Moravian  played  no  unimportant  part  in 
restoring  to  His  British  Majesty  the  key  of  western  America 
— Fort  Du  Quesne, — and  certainly  warded  an  Indian  attack 
upon  Forbes'  army.2 

It  is  probable  that  French  garrisons  remained  at  Sandusky, 
and  the  forts  on  French  creek,  for  a  while  after  the  occupa 
tion  of  Fort  Du  Quesne  by  the  English ;  but  as  the  contest  in 
Canada  approached  its  crisis,  the  troops  were  gradually  with 
drawn. 

We  have  already  given  the  8th  of  September,  1760,  as 

2)  Perkins'  Writings,  vol.  ii,  pp.  216-17 ;  see  also  Post's  Journals  in  Craig's 
Olden  Time,  vol.  i.  pp.  98,  145 


MAJOR  ROBERT  ROGERS.  117 

the  date  of  the  surrender  of  Canada  to  the  English  by  the 
French  Governor,  Vaudrueil.  Maj.  Robert  Rogers,  a  native 
of  New  Hampshire  and  an  associate  of  Putnam  and  Stark, 
was  ordered  to  take  possession  of  the  Western  forts.  He  left 
Montreal  on  the  13th  of  September,  with  two  hundred  rangers, 
who  were  "  half  hunters,  half  woodsmen,  trained  in  a  disci 
pline  of  their  own,  and  armed,  like  Indians,  with  hatchet,  gun 
and  knife."  Rogers  is  described  as  follows:  "their  com 
mander  was  a  man  tall  and  vigorous  in  person  and  rough  in 
feature.  He  was  versed  in  all  the  arts  of  woodcraft,  saga 
cious,  prompt  and  resolute,  yet  so  cautious  withal  that  he 
sometimes  incurred  the  unjust  charge  of  cowardice.  His  mind, 
naturally  active,  was  by  no  means  uncultivated,  and  his  books 
arid  unpublished  letters  bear  witness  that  his  style  as  a  writer 
was  not  contemptible.  But  his  vain,  restless,  grasping  spirit, 
and  more  doubtful  honesty,  proved  the  ruin  of  an  enviable 
reputation.  Six  years  after  his  Western  expedition,  he  was 
tried  by  a  court  martial  for  a  meditated  act  of  treason,  the 
surrender  of  Fort  Michillimacinac  into  the  hands  of  the  Span 
iards,  who  were  at  that  time  masters  of  Upper  Louisiana. 
Not  long  after,  if  we  may  trust  his  own  account,  he  passed 
over  to  the  Barbary  States,  entered  the  service  of  the  Dey 
of  Algiers,  and  fought  two  battles  under  his  banners.  At 
the  opening  of  the  war  of  independence,  he  returned  to  his 
native  country,  where  he  made  professions  of  patriotism,  but 
was  strongly  suspected  by  many,  including  Washington  him 
self,  of  acting  the  part  of  a  spy.  In  fact,  he  soon  openly 
espoused  the  British  cause,  and  received  a  colonel's  commis 
sion  from  the  crown.  His  services,  however,  proved  of  little 
consequence.  In  1778,  he  was  proscribed  and  banished, 
under  the  act  of  New  Hampshire,  and  the  remainder  of  his 


118  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

life  was  passed  in  such  obscurity  that  it  is  difficult  to  deter 
mine  when  and  where  he  died.3 

On  the  4th  of  November,  Rogers  left  Presque  Isle,  and 
thence  went  slowly  up  Lake  Erie  in  fifteen  whale  boats. 
From  this  point  we  prefer  to  give  his  own  words.  In  1765 
he  published  in  London  a  Journal  of  his  Military  Life,  and 
also  a  "  Concise  Account  of  North  America,"  from  which  we 
gather  the  particulars  of  his  voyage  along  the  southern  coast 
of  Lake  Erie : 

"  We  left  Presque  Isle,"  says  Rogers,  in  his  Journal,  "  the 
4th  of  November,  kept  a  western  course,  and  by  night  had 
advanced  twenty  miles. 

"  The  badness  of  the  weather  obliged  us  to  lie  by  all  the 
next-  day  ;  and  as  the  wind  continued  very  high,  we  did  not 
advance  more  than  ten  or  twelve  miles  the  6th,  on  a  course 
west-south-west. 

"We  set  out  very  early  on  the  7th,  and  came  to  the  mouth 
of  Chogage  River  ;4  here  we  met  with  a  party  of  Attawawa 
Indians,  just  arrived  from  Detroit.  They  were  an  embassy 
from  Ponteack,5  of  some  of  his  warriors,  and  some  of  the 
chiefs  of  the  tribes  that  are  under  him  ;  the  purport  of  which 
was,  to  let  me  know  that  Ponteack  was  at  a  small  distance, 
coming  peaceably,  and  that  he  desired  me  to  halt  my  detach 
ment  till  such  time  as  he  could  see  me  with  his  own  eyes. 
His  ambassadors  had  also  orders  to  inform  me  that  he  was 
Ponteack,  the  king  and  lord  of  the  country  I  was  in. 

3)  Parkman's  Pontiac,  145. 

4)  This  is  probably  Geauga,  or  Grand  River. 

5)  In  a  previous  paragraph,  Pontiac  is  described  as  the  head  of  an  Indian 
Confederacy  of  the  lakes.    "He  puts  on  an  air  of  majesty  and  princely 
grandeur,  and  is  greatly  honored  and  revered  by  his  subjects,"  having  cer 
tainly  "  the  largest  empire  and  greatest  authority  of  any  Indian  chief  that 
has  appeared  on  the  continent  since  our  acquaintance  with  it." 


ROGERS'    WESTERN   EXPEDITION.  119 

"  At  first  salutation,  when  we  met,  he  demanded  my  busi 
ness  into  his  country,  and  how  it  happened  that  I  dared  to 
enter  it  without  his  leave.  When  I  informed  him  that  it  was 
not  with  any  design  against  the  Indians  that  I  came,  but  to 
remove  the  French  out  of  his  country,  who  had  been  an 
obstacle  in  our  way  to  mutual  peace  and  commerce,  and 
acquainted  him  with  my  instructions  for  that  purpose  ;  I  at 
the  same  time  delivered  him  several  friendly  messages,  or 
belts  of  wampum,  which  he  received,  but  gave  me  no  other 
answer  than  that  he  stood  in  the  path  I  traveled  in  till  next 
morning,  giving  me  a  small  string  of  wampum,  as  much  as 
to  say,  I  must  not  march  further  without  his  leave.  When  he 
departed  for  the  night,  he  inquired  whether  I  wanted  anything 
that  his  country  afforded,  and  he  would  send  his  warriors  to 
fetch  it.  I  assured  him  that  any  provisions  they  brought 
should  be  paid  for ;  and  the  next  day  we  were  supplied  by 
them  with  several  bags  of  parched  corn,  and  some  other 
necessaries.  At  our  second  meeting  he  gave  me  the  pipe  of 
peace,  and  both  of  us  by  turns  smoked  with  it,  and  he  assured 
me  he  had  made  peace  with  me  and  my  detachment ;  that  I 
might  pass  through  his  country  unmolested  and  relieve  the 
French  garrison  ;  and  that  he  would  protect  me  and  my  party 
from  any  insults  that  might  be  offered  or  intended  by  the  In 
dians  ;  and  as  an  earnest  of  his  friendship,  he  sent  one  hun 
dred  warriors  to  protect  and  assist  us  in  driving  one  hundred 
fat  cattle,  which  we  had  brought  for  the  use  of  the  detach 
ment  from  Pittsburgh,  by  the  way  of  Presque  Isle.  He 
likewise  sent  to  the  several  Indian  towns  on  the  south  side  and 
west  end  of  Lake  Erie,  to  inform  them  that  I  had  his  consent 
to  come  into  the  country.  He  attended  me  constantly  after 
this  interview  till  I  arrived  at  Detroit,  and  while  I  remained 
in  the  country,  and  was  the  means  of  preserving  the  detach- 


120  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

ment  from  the  fury  of  the  Indians,  who  had  assembled  at  the 
mouth  of  the  strait  with  an  intent  to  cut  us  off. 

"  I  had  several  conferences  with  him,  in  which  he  discov 
ered  great  strength  of  judgment,  and  a  thirst  after  knowledge. 
He  endeavored  to  inform  himself  of  our  military  order  and 
discipline.  He  often  intimated  to  me  that  he  should  be  con 
tent  to  reign  in  his  country  in  subordination  to  the  King  of 
Great  Britain,  and  was  willing  to  pay  him  such  annual 
acknowledgment  as  he  was  able  in  furs,  and  to  call  him  his 
uncle.  He  was  curious  to  know  our  methods  of  manufacturing 
cloth,  iron,  &c.,  and  expressed  a  great  desire  to  see  England, 
and  offered  me  a  part  of  his  country  if  I  would  conduct  him 
there.  He  assured  me  that  he  was  inclined  to  live  peacea 
bly  with  the  English  while  they  used  him  as  he  deserved,  and 
to  encourage  their  settling  in  his  country  ;  but  intimated  that, 
if  they  treated  him  with  neglect,  he  should  shut  up  the  way, 
and  exclude  them  from  it ;  in  short,  his  whole  conversation 
sufficiently  indicated  that  he  was  far  from  considering  himself 
as  a  conquered  prince,  and  that  he  expected  to  be  treated  with 
the  respect  and  honor  due  to  a  King  or  Emperor,  by  all  who 
came  into  his  country,  or  treated  with  him.6 

"From  this  place  we  steered  one  mile  west,  then  a  mile 
south,  then  four  miles  west,  then  southwest  ten  miles,  then 
five  miles  west  and  by  south,  then  southwest  eight  miles,  then 
west  and  by  south  seven  miles,  then  four  miles  west,  and  then 
southwest  six  miles,  which  brought  us  to  Elk  River,  as  the 
Indians' call  it,  where  we  halted  two  days  on  account  of  bad 
weather  and  contrary  winds.7 

"  On  the  15th  we  embarked  and  kept  the  following  courses  : 

6)  The  particulars  of  this  interview  with  Pontiac  are  from  Rogers'  "Ac 
count,"  &c. ;  what  follows  is  from  his  Journal. 

7)  Forty-six  miles  to  Cuyahoga  River. 


121 

west-southwest  two  miles,  west-northwest  three  miles,  wcst- 
bj- -north  one  mile,  west  two  miles  ;  here  we  passed  the  mouth 
of  a  river,8  and  then  steered  west  one  mile,  west-by-south 
two  miles,  west-by-north  four  miles,  northwest  three  miles, 
west-northwest  two  miles,  west-by-north  ten  miles,  where  we 
encamped  at  the  mouth  of  a  river  twenty-five  yards  wide.9 

"  The  weather  did  not  permit  us  to  depart  till  the  18th, 
when  our  course  was  west-by-south  six  miles,  wcst-by-north 
four  miles,  west  two  miles  ;  here  we  found  a  river  about 
fifteen  yards  over,  then  proceeded  west  half  a  mile,  west- 
southwest  six  miles  and  a  half,  west  two  miles  and  a  half, 
northwest  two  miles,  where  we  encamped  and  discovered  a 
river  sixteen  yards  broad  at  the  entrance.10 

"  We  left  this  place  the  next  day,  steering  northwest  four 
miles,  north-northwest  six  miles,  which  brought  us  to  San- 
dusky  Lake  ;  we  continued  the  same  course  two  miles,  then 
north-northeast  half  a  mile,  northwest  a  quarter  of  a  mile, 
north  the  same  distance,  northwest  half  a  mile,  north-by-east 
one  furlong,  northwest-by-north  one  quarter  of  a  mile,  north- 
wcst-by-west  one  mile,  west-northwest  one  mile,  then  west 
half  a  mile,  where  we  encamped  near  a  small  river,  on  the 
east  side. 

"  The  land  on  the  south  side  of  Lake  Erie  from  Presque 
Isle,  puts  on  a  very  fine  appearance ;  the  country  level,  the 
timber  tall  and  of  the  best  sort,  such  as  oak,  hickcrie  and 
locust ;  and  for  game,  both  for  plenty  and  variety,  perhaps 
exceeded  by  no  part  of  the  world. 

"  On  the  20th  we  took  a  course  northwest  four  miles  and 
a  half,  southwest  two,  and  west  three,  to  the  mouth  of  a  river 

8)  Ei^ht  miles  to  Rocky  River. 

0)  Twenty  miles  to  Black  River. 

10)  Huron  River,  in  Erie  county. 


122  IIISTOHY  OF  onio. 

in  breadth  300  feet.11  Here  we  found  several  Huron  sa 
chems,  who  told  me  '  that  a  body  of  400  Indian  warriors  was 
collected  at  the  entrance  into  the  great  streight,  in  order 
to  obstruct  our  passage.' 

"  On  the  22d  we  encamped  on  a  beach,  after  having  steered 
that  day  northwest  six  miles,  north-northwest  four,  to  a  river 
of  the  breadth  of  twenty  yards,12  then  northwest-by-west 
two  miles,  west-northwest  one,  west  four,  and  west-northwest 
five.  It  was  with  great  difficulty  we  could  procure  any  fuel 
here,  the  west  side  of  the  Lake  Erie  abounding  with  swamps. 
We  rowed  ten  miles  the  next  day,  on  a  course  northwest 
and-by-west  to  Point  Cedar13  and  then  formed  a  camp." 

The  rumors  of  intended  hostility  by  the  Indians,  at  the 
instigation  of  the  French  Commandant  at  Detroit,  proved 
unfounded,  and  after  some  delay,  Monsieur  Beleter  yielded 
the  post  on  the  29th  of  November,  1760.  Rogers  remained 
in  the  vicinity  of  Detroit  until  December  23d,  meanwhile 
making  an  excursion  to  Lakes  St.  Clair  and  Huron.  From 
Detroit  the  Major  went  to  the  Maumee,  and  thence  across  by 
the  Sandusky  and  Tuscarawas  trail  to  Fort  Pitt,  and  his 
journal  of  this  overland  trip  is  the  first  description  of  the 
route  which  has  fallen  under  our  notice.  We  shall  renew 
our  extracts,  and  accompany  Major  Rogers  through  the  limits 
now  constituting  the  State  of  Ohio : 

"  On  the  23d  of  December  I  set  out  for  Pittsburgh,  march 
ing  along  the  west  end  of  Lake  Erie,  till  the  2d  of  January, 
1761,  when  we  arrived  at  Lake  Sandusky. 

"  I  have  a  very  good  opinion  of  the  soil  from  Detroit  to 
this  place  ;  it  is  timbered  principally  with  white  and  black 
oaks,  hickerie,  locusts  and  maple.  We  found  wild  apples 

11)  Portage  River,  in  Ottowa  county. 

12)  Touissant  creek,  in  Carroll  township,  Ottowa  county. 

13)  Maumee  Bay. 


ROGERS'  WESTERN  EXPEDITION.  123 

along  the  west  end  of  Lake  Erie,  some  rich  savannahs  of 
several  miles  extent,  without  a  tree,  but  clothed  with  jointed 
grass  near  six  feet  high,  which  rotting  there  every  year  adds 
to  the  fertility  of  the  soil.  The  length  of  Sandusky  is  about 
fifteen  miles  from  east  to  west,  and  about  six  miles  across  it. 
We  came  to  a  town  of  the  Windot  Indians,  where  we  halted 
to  refresh. 

"  On  January  3d,  southeast-by-east  three  miles,  cast-by- 
south  one  mile  and  a  half,  southeast  a  mile  through  a  meadow, 
crossed  a  small  creek  about  six  yards  wide,  running  cast, 
traveled  southeast-by-east  one  mile,  passed  thro'  Indian  houses 
southeast  three  quarters  of  a  mile,  and  came  to  a  small  Indi 
an  town  of  about  ten  houses.  There  is  a  remarkable  fine 
spring  at  this  place,  rising  out  of  the  side  of  a  small  hill  with 
such  force  that  it  boils  above  the  ground  in  a  column  three 
feet  high.  I  imagine  it  discharges  ten  hogsheads  of  water 
in  a  minute.14  From  this  town  our  course  was  south-south 
east  three  miles,  south  two  miles,  crossed  a  brook  about  five 
yards  wide,  running  east-southeast,  traveled  south  one  mile, 
crossed  a  brook  about  four  yards  wide,  running  east-south- 
cast,  traveled  south-southeast  two  miles,  crossed  a  brook 
about  eight  yards  wide.  This  day  we  killed  plenty  of  deer 
and  turkies  on  our  march,  and  encamped. 

"  On  the  4th  we  traveled  south-southeast  one  mile,  and 
came  to  a  river  about  twenty-five  yards  wide,  crossed  the 
river,  where  are  two  Indian  houses,  from  thence  south-by-east 
one  mile,  south-southeast  one  mile  and  a  half,  southeast  two 
miles,  south-southeast  one  mile,  and  came  to  an  Indian  house, 
where  there  was  a  family  of  Windots  hunting,  from  thence 
south-by-east  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  south  five  miles,  came  to 
the  river  we  crossed  this  morning  ;  the  course  of  the  river 

14)  Castalia,  or  Cold  Spring,  in  Erie  county. 


124  HISTOllY    OF    OHIO. 

here  is  west-northwest.15  This  day  killed  several  deer  and 
other  game  and  encamped. 

"On  the  5th,  traveled  south-southwest  half  a  mile,  south 
one  mile,  south-southwest  three  quarters  of  a  mile,  south 
half  a  mile,  crossed  two  small  brooks  running  cast,  went  a 
south-southwest  course  half  a  mile,  south  half  a  mile,  south 
east  half  a  mile,  south  two  miles,  southeast  one  mile,  south 
half  a  mile,  crossed  a  brook  running  east-by-north,  traveled 
south-by-east  half  a  mile,  south-southeast  two  miles,  south 
east  three  quarters  of  a  mile,  south-southeast  one  mile,  and 
came  to  Maskongam  creek,16  about  eight  yards  wide,  crossed 
the  creek,  and  encamped  about  thirty  yards  from  it.  This 
day  killed  deer  and  turkies  in  our  march. 

"  On  the  6th,  we  traveled  about  fourteen  or  fifteen  miles, 
our  general  course  being  about  east-southeast,  killed  plenty 
of  game,  and  encamped  by  a  very  fine  spring.17 

"The  7th,  our  general  course  about  southeast,  traveled 
about  six  miles,  and  crossed  Maskongam  creek,  running  south, 
about  twenty  yards  wide.18  There  is  an  Indian  town  about 
twenty  yards  from  the  creek,  on  the  east  side,  which  is  called 
the  Mingo  Cabbins.  There  were  but  two  or  three  Indians 
in  the  place,  the  rest  were  hunting.  These  Indians  have 
plenty  of  cows,  horses,  hogs,  &c.19 

"  The  8th,  halted  at  this  town  to  mend  our  mogasons  and 
kill  deer,  the  provisions  I  brought  from  Detroit  being  entirely 

15)  If  the  reader  will  follow  the  track  of  the  Sandusky,  Mansfield  and 
Newark  Railroad,  eleven  miles  south  from  Monroevilie,  he  will  probably  be 
on  the  route  of  Rogers,  and  will  twice  cross  the  Huron  River. 

16)  Black  Fork  of  Mohican,  now  called  White  Woman  or  Walhonding. 

17)  Who  will  identify  this  "  fine  spring,"  somewhere  between  Montgomery 
and  Vcrmillion  townships,  in  Ashland  county  ? 

18)  Lake  Fork  of  Mohican,  near  Jeromeville,  Ashland  county. 

19)  A  prominent  object  on  all  early  charts,  but  usually  called  "  Mohican 
John's  Town."    The  township  is  now  called  "  Mohecan." 


125 

expended.  I  went  a  hunting  -with  ten  of  the  Rangers,  and 
by  ten  o'clock  got  more  venison  than  we  had  occasion  for. 

"  On  the  9th,  traveled  about  twelve  miles,  our  general 
course  being  about  southeast,  and  encamped  by  the  side  of  a 
long  meadow,  where  there  were  a  number  of  Indians  hunting.20 

"  The  10th,  about  the  same  course,  we  traveled  eleven 
miles,  and  encamped,  having  killed  in  our  march  this  day 
three  bears  and  two  elks. 

"  The  llth,  continuing  near  the  same  course,  we  traveled 
thirteen  miles  and  encamped,  where  were  a  number  of 
Wiandots  and  Six  Nation  Indians  hunting. 

"  The  12th,  traveled  six  miles,  bearing  rather  more  to  the 
east  and  encamped.  This  evening  we  killed  several  beaver. 

"The  loth,  traveled  about  n&rtheast  six  miles,  arid  came 
to  the  Delaware's  Town,  called  Beaver  Town.'21  This  Indian 
town  stands  on  good  land,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Maskon- 
gam  river,  and  opposite  to  the  town  on  the  east  side  is  a  fine 
river  which  discharges  itself  into  it.  The  latter  is  about 
thirty  yards  wide,  and  the  Maskongam  about  forty ;  so  that 
when  they  both  join  they  make  a  very  fine  stream,  with  a 
swift  current  running  to  the  southwest.  There  are  about 
8000  acres  of  cleared  ground  round  this  place.  The  num 
ber  of  warriors  in  this  town  is  about  180.  All  the  waj  from 
the  Lake  Sandusky  I  found  level  land  and  a  good  country. 
No  pine  trees  of  any  sort ;  the  timber  is  white,  black  and 
yellow  oak,  black  and  white  walnut,  Cyprus,  chestnut  and 

20)  Still  called  on  the  map  of  Ohio,  "  Long  Prairie,"  in  Plain  township, 
Wayne  county. 

21)  The  Indian  town  of  Tuscarora,  opposite  Sandy  creek,  at  this  time 
the  residence  of  the  leading  Delaware  chiefs.    Here  King  Beaver  resided  in 
ITf.O,  as  also  did  the  great  war  captain  of  the  Delawares,  Shingcss,  or  King 
Shingask,  whom  we  suppose  to  have  been  the  same  personage  as  Bocken- 
gehelas,  who  was  living  in  1804. 


126  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

locust  trees.  At  this  town  I  staid  till  the  16th,  in  the  mor 
ning,  to  refresh  my  party,  and  procured  some  corn  of  the 
Indians  to  boil  with  our  venison. 

"  On  the  16th,  we  marched  nearly  an  east  course  about 
nine  miles,  and  encamped  by  the  side  of  a  small  river. 

"  On  the  17th,  kept  much  the  same  course,  crossing  several 
rivulets  and  creeks.  We  traveled  about  twenty  miles,  and 
encamped  by  the  side  of  a  small  river.22 

"  On  the  18th,  we  traveled  about  sixteen  miles  an  easterly 
course  and  encamped  by  a  brook. 

"  The  19th,  about  the  same  general  course,  we  crossed 
two  considerable  streams  of  water,  and  some  large  hills  tim 
bered  with  chestnut  and  oak,  and  having  traveled  about 
twenty  miles,  we  encamped  by  the  side  of  a  small  river,  at 
which  place  were  a  number  of  Delawares  hunting.23 

"  On  the  20th,  keeping  still  an  easterly  course,  and  having 
much  the  same  traveling  as  the  day  before,  we  advanced  on 
our  journey  about  nineteen  miles,  which  brought  us  to  Bea 
ver  creek,  where  are  two  or  three  Indian  houses,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  creek,  and  in  sight  of  the  Ohio. 

"  Bad  weather  prevented  our  journeying  on  the  21st,  but 
the  next  day  we  prosecuted  our  march.  Having  crossed  the 
creek,  we  traveled  twenty  miles,  nearly  southeast  and  en 
camped  with  a  party  of  Indian  hunters. 

"  On  the  23d,  we  came  again  to  the  Ohio,  opposite  to  Fort 
Pitt,  from  whence  I  ordered  Lieut.  McCormack  to  march  the 
party  across  the  country  to  Albany,  and  after  tarrying  there 
until  the  26th,  I  came  the  common  road  to  Philadelphia, 
from  thence  to  New  York,  where,  after  this  long  fatiguing 
tour,  I  arrived  February  14,  1761." 

22)  Nimishillcn  creek,  perhaps.       23)  Little  Yellow  Creek,  very  likely. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

CONSPIRACY  OF  PONTIAC. 

THERE  was  a  sullen  submission  to  the  new  dominion  of 
England  through  the  Western  wilderness.  The  French  were 

o  o 

subdued,  and  the  Indians  could  not  fail  to  respect  the  power 
of  the  British  arms,  but  their  jealousy  of  aggression  on  the 
one  hand,  or  of  no  less  unwelcome  neglect  on  the  other,  still 
remained.  Once  more,  as  was  the  case  ten  years  previously, 
an  opportunity  was  afforded  to  the  English  to  conciliate  the 
natives,  and  avert  for  an  indefinite  period  the  horrors  of  a 
frontier  war.  It  certainly  behooved  the  colonies  not  to  be 
less  indulgent  and  considerate  than  the  French  had  been. 
The  latter  had,  from  motives  of  policy,  made  frequent  gifts 
to  the  tribes — treated  their  chiefs  with  consideration — sup 
plied  them  with  ammunition  and  clothing  on  reasonable  terms, 
and  by  a  frank  and  gay  deportment  won  their  good  will. 

If  the  reader  will  recall  the  interview  between  Rogers  and 
Pontiac,  narrated  in  the  preceding  chapter,  he  can  readily 
appreciate  not  only  the  spirit  of  that  chief,  but  also  the  dis 
positions  of  his  followers.  His  lofty  permission  to  Rogers, 
that  the  latter  might  "  pass  through  his  country  unmolested," 
and  his  magnanimous  protection  of  the  detachment  of  Ran 
gers  from  Indian  attack,  disclosed  a  proud  consciousness  that 
he  was  indeed  "  the  King  and  Lord  of  the  country."  He 
was  willing  to  recognize  a  slight  protectorate  in  the  English 
monarch,  by  an  annual  acknowledgment  in  furs  and  the  style 
of  Ci  Uncle,"  vet  this  tenure,  even  less  substantial  than  the 

(127) 


1-8  HISTORY  OF  euro. 

slightest  feudal  relation,  was  not  to  impair  the  wild  independ 
ence  of  the  forest  emperor. 

The  jealousies  of  the  Ohio  Indians  were  almost  immediately 
excited  by  the  encroachments  of  English  emigrants.  The 
Ohio  Company  was  revived ;  Virginia  multiplied  her  grants ; 
traders  and  settlers  pushed  beyond  the  mountains,  which,  by 
the  treaty  of  Easton,  in  1758,  had  been  fixed  as  the  eastern 
limit  of  the  Indian  hunting  grounds ;  and  the  savages  were 
not  slow  to  perceive  that  the  professions  with  which  both 
Braddock  and  Forbes  had  approached  their  frontier,  that  the 
English  would  protect  the  tribes  from  French  aggression, 
were  only  intended  to  cover  similar  designs.  While  these  appre 
hensions  prevailed  among  the  Delawares  and  Shawanesc,  the 
feeling  among  the  Wyandots  and  Ottawas,  as  well  as  the 
more  northern  tribes,  was  even  more  distrustful.  The  par 
simony  of  the  English,  as  compared  with  the  liberal  and 
attractive  gifts  of  the  French,  added  to  the  discontent. 

Soon  a  bitter  revulsion  of  feeling  prevailed  through  the 
entire  west.  The  Delawares  and  Shawanese  were  irritated 
by  the  settlers  from  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania,  while  the 
more  remote  tribes  meditated  revenge  for  the  neglect  of  the 
English,  in  particulars  now  become  necessary  to  their  com 
fort,  and  also  by  the  frequent  outrages  of  a  lawless  soldiery, 
who  had  replaced  the  French  garrisons.  There  were  not 
wanting  French  traders  and  voyagers  to  remind  the  Indians 
of  a  contrast  so  disadvantageous  in  all  respects  to  the  recent 
occupants,  and  to  fan  the  flame  of  disaffection  to  the  height 
of  insurrection. 

As  early  as  the  spring  of  1761,  Alexander  Henry,  an 
English  trader,  went  to  Michillimacinac  for  purposes  of  busi 
ness,  and  he  found  the  strongest  feeling  against  the  English, 
on  account  of  their  failure  by  word  or  deed  to  conciliate  the 


OONSriHACY    OF    1'ONTIAC.  12'J 

Indians.  Having  reached  his  destination,  though  in  the 
disguise  of  a  Canadian,  he  was  discovered,  and  an  Indian 
chief,  supposed  to  be  Pontiac  himself,  addressed  him  as  fol 
lows  : 

"  Englishman  !  Although  you  have  conquered  the  French, 
you  have  not  yet  conquered  us.  We  are  not  your  slaves. 
These  lakes,  these  woods,  these  mountains,  were  left  to  us  hy 
our  ancestors.  They  are  our  inheritance,  and  we  will  part  with 
them  to  none.  Your  nation  supposes  that  we,  like  the  white 
people,  cannot  live  without  bread,  pork  and  beef.  But  you 
ought  to  know  that  the  Great  Spirit  and  Master  of  Life,  has 
provided  food  for  us  upon  these  broad  lakes  and  in  these 
mountains." 

lie  then  spoke  of  the  fact  that  no  treaty  had  been  made 
with  them,  no  presents  sent  them ;  and  while  he  announced 
their  intention  to  allow  Henry  to  trade  unmolested,  and  to 
regard  him  as  a  brother,  he  declared  that  with  his  King  the 
red  men  were  still  at  war.1 

On  the  10th  of  February,  1763,  the  treaty  of  Paris  was 
concluded,  and  extensive  settlements  in  the  conquered  west 
were  projected  in  the  colonies  at  the  moment  that  a  wide  spread 
conspiracy  among  the  Indian  tribes  was  on  the  eve  of  explo 
sion. 

The  soul  of  this  secret  and  formidable  movement  was  Pon 
tiac.  Of  his  origin  there  are  conflicting  statements — one  that 
he  was  a  Catawba  prisoner,  adopted  into  the  Ottawa  tribe ; 
while  the  more  prevalent  opinion  is,  that  he  was  the  son  of 
an  Ottawa  father  and  an  Ojibwa  mother.  '  All  accounts  unite 
that  he  was  a  chief  of  great  genius  and  resources,  possessing 
qualities  unsurpassed  by  the  most  distinguished  of  his  race. 

1)  Perkins'  Writings,  ii.  223;  Travels  of  Alexander  Henry  in  Cumida 
from  17GO  to  1770 :  New  York.  1809. 


180  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

Bancroft  styles  him  "  the  colossal  chief,"  whose  "  name  still 
hovers  over  the  northwest,  as  the  hero  who  devised  and  con 
ducted  a  great  but  unavailing  struggle  with  destiny  for  the 
independence  of  his  race."  During  the  series  of  Indian  wars 
against  the  English  colonies  and  armies,  from  the  Acadian 
war  in  1747  to  the  general  league  of  western  tribes  in  1763, 
he  appears  to  have  exercised  the  influence  and  power  of  an 
emperor,  and  by  this  name  he  was  sometimes  known.  He 
had  fought  with  the  French,  at  the  head  of  his  Indian  allies, 
against  the  English,  in  the  year  1747.  lie  had  likewise 
been  a  conspicuous  commander  of  the  Indian  forces  in  the 
defence  of  Fort  Du  Quesne,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the 
memorable  defeat  of  the  British  and  provincial  army  under 
General  Bradclock,  in  1755. 

The  voice  of  Pontiac  appealed  to  savage  superstition.  He 
claimed  to  speak  by  the  inspiration  of  the  Great  Spirit,  and 
his  messages  were  received  with  emotions  of  awe  from  Lake 
Michigan  to  the  frontiers  of  North  Carolina.  "  Why,  says 
the  Great  Spirit,  do  you  suffer  these  dogs  in  the  red  clothing 
to  enter  your  country  and  take  the  land  I  have  given  you  ? 
Drive  them  from  it !  Drive  them !  When  you  are  in  dis 
tress,  I  will  help  you." 

Thus  in  the  winter  of  1762-3  was  silently  organized  a 
league,  by  which  the  confederated  Indians  were  to  environ 
the  feeble  and  scattered  garrisons,  and  by  stratagem  and 
force,  simultaneously  destroy  them,  and  sweep  the  exposed 
frontiers  with  an  indiscriminate  massacre. 

The  catastrophe  of  May,  1763,  is  thus  dramatized  in  the 
Historical  Papers  of  J.  II.  Perkins.  "The  unsuspecting 
traders  journeyed  from  village  to  village :  the  soldiers  in  the 
forts  shrunk  from  the  sun  of  the  early  summer,  and  dozed 
away  the  day ;  the  frontier  settler,  singing  in  fancied  secu- 


BRITISH   FORTS    SURPRISED.  131 

rity,  sowed  his  crop,  or,  watching  the  sunset  through  the 
girdled  trees,  mused  upon  one  more  peaceful  harvest,  and 
told  his  children  of  the  horrors  of  the  ten  years'  war  now, 
thank  God !  over.  From  the  Alleghanies  to  the  Mississippi 
the  trees  had  leaved,  and  all  was  calin  life  and  joy.  But 
through  that  great  country,  even  then,  bands  of  sullen  red 
men  were  journeying  from  the  central  valleys  to  the  lakes 
of  the  Eastern  hills.  Bands  of  Chippewas  gathered  about 
Missillimacinac.  Ottawas  filled  the  woods  near  Detroit. 
The  Maumeo  post,  Presmi'  Isle,  Niagara,  Pitt,  Lingonier, 
and  every  English  fort  was  hemmed  in  by  mingled  tribes, 
who  felt  that  the  great  battle  drew  nigh  which  was  to  deter 
mine  their  fate  and  the  possession  of  their  noble  lands.  At 
last  the  day  came.  The  traders  every  where  were  seized, 
their  goods  taken  from  them,  and  more  than  one  hundred 

o  / 

put  to  death.  Nine  British  forts  yielded  instantly,  and  the 
savages  drank,  '  scooped  up  in  the  hollow  of  joined  hands,' 
the  blood  of  many  a  Briton.  The  border  streams  of  Penn 
sylvania  and  Virginia  run  red  again.  'Wo  hear,'  says  a 
letter  from  Fort  Pitt,  '  of  scalping  every  hour.'  In  West 
ern  Virginia,  more  than  twenty  thousand  people  were  driven 
from  their  homes.  Detroit  was  besieged  by  Pontiac  him 
self,  after  a  vain  atttempt  to  take  it  by  stratagem ;  and  for 
many  months  that  siege  was  continued  in  a  manner  and  with 
a  perseverance,  unexampled  among  the  Indians.  It  was  the 
8th  of  May  when  Detroit  was  first  attacked,  and  upon  the  3d 
of  the  following  December  it  was  still  in  danger.  As  late 
as  March  of  the  next  year,  the  inhabitants  were  '  sleeping 
in  their  clothes,'  expecting  an  alarm  every  night." 

By  midsummer,  the  only  western  posts  which  withstood 
the  attacks  of  the  savages,  were  Fort  Pitt,  defended  by 
Capt.  Ecuyer,  with  three  hundred  and  fifty  men,  having  two 


132  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

hundred  women  and  children  under  their  protection ;  Fort 
Lingonier,  the  outpost  of  Fort  Pitt  at  the  foot  of  the  Alle- 
ghanics;  and  Detroit,  where  Maj.  Glad  win  and  a  garrison  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  men  were  closely  beleaguered 
by  six  hundred  Indians,  with  the  indomitable  Pontiac  at 
their  head. 

Sanduskyaon  Lake  Jenandat"  (as  described  in  an  old 
document)  was  the  first  to  fall  on  the  16th  of  May. 

On  the  25th  of  May,  the  stockade  at  the  mouth  of  St. 
Josephs  on  the  eastern  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  was  sur 
prised  by  a  party  of  Pottowatamies  from  Detroit ;  Schlosser, 
the  commanding  officer,  seized ;  and  all  the  garrison  of  four 
teen  men,  except  three,  massacred. 

On  the  27th  of  May,  Ensign  Holmes,  the  commandant  at 
Fort  Miami,  near  the  present  site  of  Fort  Wayne,  on  the 
Maumec  River,  was  entreated  to  visit  and  bleed  a  sick  squaw 
in  a  cabin  three  hundred  yards  distant,  and  on  approaching 
the  place,  was  shot  down  by  Indians  in  ambush,  while  his 
sergeant,  who  followed,  and  the  nine  soldiers  of  the  garrison, 
were  made  prisoners. 

Fort  Ouatanon,  on  the  Wabash,  just  below  Lafayette,  in 
Indiana,  yielded  on  the  1st  of  June,  but  the  French  in  the 
vicinity  generously  ransomed  the  lives  of  the  captives  and 
gave  them  asylum  in  their  houses. 

On  the  2d  of  June,  Capt.  Etherington  and  his  subordinate 
officers  were  invited  to  witness  a  game  of  ball  by  rival  par 
ties  of  Chippewas,  upon  the  plain  adjoining  the  fort  at 
Michillimacinac.  The  game,  which  somewhat  resembled 
wicket,  had  proceeded  with  much  animation  from  morning 
until  noon,  when,  by  apparent  accident,  a  ball  was  tossed 
near  the  entrance  of  the  fort ;  a  rush  was  made  within  the 
enclosure,  the  war-whoop  sounded,  an  officer,  a  trader, 


FORT    SANDUSKY   DESTROYED.  133 

and  fifteen  men  were  killed,  while  the  rest  of  the  garrison 
of  forty,  and  several  Indian  traders,  were  spared  as  captives. 

Presque  Isle,  now  Erie,  a  tenable  structure,  with  a  garri 
son  of  twenty-four  men,  and  within  prompt  reach  of  relief, 
was  surrendered,  after  a  two  days'  defence,  on  the  22cl  of 
June. 

Le  Boeuf,  still  further  inland,  was  burned  on  the  night  of 
the  18th  of  July,  after  successfully  resisting  an  attack  during 
the  previous  day,  but  the  garrison  fortunately  escaped  unno 
ticed  through  the  darkness  and  the  forest.  On  their  way  to 
Fort  Pitt,  they  passed  the  ashes  of  Venango — fort  and  gar 
rison  having  been  involved  in  the  same  destruction. 

Drake,  in  his  Book  of  the  Indians,  adds  to  our  enumera 
tion  "  Le  Bay,  on  Lake  Michigan,  near  Green  Bay." 

Sandusky,  on  Lake  Junandat,  or  Wyandot,  was  the  only 
post  within  the  present  limits  of  Ohio.  The  particulars  of 
its  loss  were  furnished  by  Ensign  Paully,  its  commandant, 
and  by  him  transmitted  to  Sir  Jeffrey  Amherst,  then  Com- 
mander-in-Chief  of  the  British  forces.  We  give  these  de 
tails  as  compiled  by  Bancroft  and  Parkman. 

On  the  16th  of  May,  Fort  Sandusky  was  approached  by 
a  party  of  Indians,  principally  from  the  Wyandot  village. 
Ensign  Paully,  the  commanding  officer,  was  informed  that 
seven  Indians  were  waiting  at  the  gate  to  speak  with  him. 
They  proved  to  be  four  Hurons  or  Wyandots  and  three  Ot- 
tawas,  and  as  several  of  them  were  known  to  him,  he  ordered 
them,  without  hesitation,  to  be  admitted.  Arrived  at  his 
quarters,  two  of  the  treacherous  visitors  seated  themselves 
on  each  side  of  the  commandant,  while  the  rest  were  dis 
posed  in  various  parts  of  the  room.  The  pipes  were  lighted 
and  the  conversation  began,  when  an  Indian,  who  stood  in 
the  door-way,  suddenly  made  a  signal  by  raising  his  head. 


134  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

Upon  this,  the  astonished  officer  was  instantly  seized,  dis 
armed  and  tied  by  those  near  him,  while  at  the  same  moment 
a  confused  noise  of  shrieks  and  yells,  the  firing  of  guns,  and 
the  hurried  tramp  of  feet  sounded  from  the  area  of  the  fort 
without.  It  soon  ceased,  however,  and  as  Paully  was  led 
from  the  room,  he  saw  the  dead  body  of  his  sentry  and  the 
parade  ground  strewn  with  the  corpses  of  his  murdered  gar 
rison.  The  body  of  his  sergeant  lay  in  the  garden,  where 
he  was  planting  at  the  time  of  the  massacre.  Some  traders, 
who  were  stationed  within  or  near  the  enclosure  of  the  pick 
ets,  were  also  killed  and  their  stores  plundered.  At  night 
fall,  Paully  was  conducted  to  the  margin  of  the  lake,  where 
several  birch  canoes  lay  in  readiness ;  and  as,  amid  thick 
darkness,  the  party  pushed  out  from  shore,  the  captive  saw 
the  fort,  lately  under  his  command,  bursting  on  all  sides  into 
sheets  of  flame. 

Paully  was  brought  prisoner  to  Detroit,  bound  hand  and 
foot,  and  solaced  on  the  passage  with  the  expectation  of  being 
burnt  alive.  On  landing  near  the  camp  of  Pontiac,  he  was 
surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  Indians,  chiefly  squaws  and  chil 
dren,  who  pelted  him  with  stones,  sticks  and  gravel,  forcing 
him  to  dance  and  sing,  though  by  no  means  in  a  cheerful 
strain.  A  worse  infliction  seemed  in  store  for  him,  when 
happily  an  old  woman,  whose  husband  had  lately  died,  chose 
to  adopt  him  in  place  of  the  deceased  warrior.  Seeing  no 
alternative  but  the  stake,  Paully  accepted  the  proposal,  and 
having  been  first  plunged  in  the  river,  that  the  white  blood 
might  be  washed  from  his  veins,  he  was  conducted  to  the 
lodge  of  the  widow,  and  treated  thenceforth  with  all  the 
consideration  due  to  an  Ottawa  warrior.  This  forced  match 
took  place  about  the  20th  of  May,  and  in  July  following  a 
divorce  occurred.  One  evening  a  man  was  seen  running 


BATTLE   OF   BUSHY   RUN.  135 

towards  the  fort  at  Detroit,  closely  pursued  by  Indians.  On 
his  arriving  within  gunshot  distance,  they  gave  over  the  chase 
and  the  fugitive  came  panting  beneath  the  walls,  where  a 
wicket  was  flung  open  to  receive  him.  He  proved  to  be  the 
commandant  at  Sandusky,  who  had  seized  the  first  opportu 
nity  to  escape  from  the  embrace  of  the  Ottawa  widow. 

The  tragedy  at  Sandusky  did  not  long  remain  unavenged. 
On  the  26th  of  July,  a  detachment  of  two  hundred  and  sixty 
men,  under  the  command  of  Capt.  Dalzell,  arrived  at  San 
dusky  on  their  coastwise  route  to  the  relief  of  Detroit.  Thence 
they  marched  inland  to  the  Wyandot  village,  which  they 
burned  to  the  ground,  at  the  same  time  destroying  the  adja 
cent  fields  of  standing  corn.  After  inflicting  this  inadequate 
retribution  of  the  scene  of  May  16th,  Dalzell  steered  north 
ward,  and  under  cover  of  night  effected  a  junction  with  the 
Detroit  garrison. 

Long  and  arduous  were  the  hostilities  at  the  forks  of  the 
Ohio  and  the  straits  of  Detroit.  The  siege  of  Fort  Pitt  first 
reached  a  crisis  favorable  to  the  besieged.  The  Delawares 
and  Shawanese,  conscious  of  the  strength  of  the  garrison, 
endeavored  to  persuade  Capt.  Ecuyer  to  abandon  the  fort, 
offering  safe  conduct  to  the  settlements  for  all  within  the 
inclosure.  This  overture  was  twice  made  and  declined,  and 
as  often,  furious  but  ineffectual  assaults  were  made  by  the 
Indians.  At  length  runners  brought  the  intelligence  that 
Bouquet,  at  the  head  of  five  hundred  men,  was  advancing 
through  the  wilderness  of  Western  Pennsylvania,  and,  as 
August  approached,  the  Indians  disappeared  from  before  Fort 
Pitt  for  the  purpose  of  harassing,  and,  if  possible,  cutting  off 
the  army  of  rescue  and  supply.  The  troops  of  Bouquet  were 
the  remains  of  two  regiments  of  Highlanders,  recently  from 
active  service  in  the  West  Indies — thoroughly  disciplined  and 


186  HISTORY    OP    OHIO. 

fortunate  in  their  leader.  Nothing  interrupted  their  advance, 
until  the  4th  of  August,  when  the  advanced  guard  was  sud 
denly  attacked  by  the  savages  at  Edge  Hill,  a  mile  east  of 
the  Bushy  Hun,  and  four  days'  march  from  Pittsburgh.  The 
action  continued  two  days,  the  enemy  giving  way  before  the 
bayonets  of  the  Highlanders,  but  constantly  renewing  their 
treacherous  ambuscades.  As  a  last  resort,  Bouquet  feigned 
a  retreat ;  the  Indians  hurried  to  charge,  when  two  compa 
nies,  that  had  been  purposely  concealed,  fell  upon  the  flank 
of  the  savages,  who  were  simultaneously  attacked  in  front. 
This  manoeuvre  decided  the  conflict  in  favor  of  the  Ameri 
cans,  although  their  loss  was  fifty  killed  and  sixty  wounded. 

The  battle  of  Bushy  Run  is  memorable  in  our  border  his 
tory,  as  well  for  the  valor  exhibited  on  both  sides  as  for  the 
important  consequences.  The  Delawares  and  Shawanese, 
who  were  the  instigators  and  principal  resource  of  the  con 
federation  of  1763,  never  renewed  the  contest  with  the  des 
perate  devotion  which  they  exhibited  at  Bushy  Hun.  At 
Edge  Hill  the  valley  of  the  Ohio  was  virtually  subjugated. 

The  genius  of  Pontiac  prolonged  the  contest  before  the 
walls  of  Detroit.  Although  his  original  design  of  taking  the 
fort  by  stratagem,  on  the  7th  of  May,  was  baffled,  still  he 
hoped  to  reduce  the  position  by  a  close  and  vigorous  siege. 
Having  been  advised  of  the  approach  of  Lieut.  Cuylcr  with 
ninety-six  men  and  twenty-three  batteaux  laden  with  stores, 
along  the  northern  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  a  band  of  AVyandots 
was  sent  to  surprise  him,  which  they  succeeded  in  doing  on 
the  night  of  May  28th,  near  Point  Pelee.  Most  of  the  de 
tachment  were  captured,  although  Cuyler  with  thirty  men 
escaped,  and,  rowing  all  night,  arrived  at  a  small  island. 
Cuyler  now  made  for  Sandusky,  (as  he  says  in  a  report,) 
which,  of  course,  he  found  burned  to  the  ground,  and  thence 


ROYAL   PROCLAMATION.  137 

ho  returned  to  Niagara  along  the  southern  shore  of  Lake 
Erie. 

However,  in  June,  a  schooner,  with  a  reinforcement  of 
sixty  men,  reached  Detroit,  and  early  on  the  morning  of  the 
20th  of  July,  the  garrison  wrere  agreeably  surprised  by  the 
arrival  of  Capt.  Dalzcll  and  his  reinforcement  of  two  hundred 
and  sixty  men.  Dalzell  immediately  resolved  to  make  a  night 
sally  against  the  besiegers.  It  proved  unfortunate,  the  wily 
enemy  being  fully  advised  of  the  movement,  and  Dalzcll's 
own  life  and  the  lives  of  twenty  of  his  men  were  sacrificed  in 
the  inglorious  retreat  from  the  Indian  ambuscade  at  Bloody 
llun.  This  victory  encouraged  the  confederates,  and  Pontiac 
pressed  the  siege  with  a  force  increased  to  one  thousand  men. 

Another  month  brought  to  the  Ottawa  chief  the  tidings  of 
Bushy  llun,  and  the  occupation  of  Fort  Pitt  by  Bouquet. 
Already  it  was  apparent  to  Pontiac  that  the  tide  of  success 
was  turning  against  himself  and  the  great  purpose  of  the  con 
federation,  yet  were  his  efforts  unabated.  Winter  approached ; 
the  French  commandant  at  Fort  Chartres,  on  the  Illinois, 
wrote  to  Pontiac  that  the  Indians  must  expect  no  assistance 
from  the  French,  and  M.  De  Neyon  wrent  so  far  as  to  send 
belts,  messages  and  peace  pipes  to  the  different  western 
tribes,  exhorting  them  to  conclude  a  peace  with  the  English. 
Finally,  in  the  absence  of  any  decisive  success,  the  savages 
became  disheartened,  jealousies  were  revived,  and  Pontiac 
raised  the  siege  of  Detroit,  repairing,  with  a  number  of  his 
chiefs,  to  the  Maumee,  but  still  intent  upon  renewing  hostili 
ties  in  the  spring. 

On  the  7th  of  October,  1763,  a  royal  proclamation  issued, 
which  probably  contributed  to  the  pacification  of  the  western 
border,  by  removing  the  causes  of  future  outbreaks.  It 

anticipated,  in  some  degree,  what  has  become  the  permanent 
6* 


138  H1STOKY    OF    OHIO. 

Indian  policy  of  the  United  States.  The  colonial  governments 
were  prohibited,  "  for  the  present,"  and  until  the  royal 
pleasure  should  be  further  known,  "  to  grant  warrants  of 
survey  or  pass  patents  for  any  lands  beyond  the  heads  or 
sources  of  any  of  the  rivers  which  fall  into  the  Atlantic 
ocQan  from  the  west  or  northwest."  These  western  lands 
were  declared  to  be  under  the  sovereignty,  protection  and 
dominion  of  the  crown  for  the  use  of  the  Indians,  and  indi 
viduals  were  warned  not  to  settle  them.  Purchases  from 
Indians  of  lands  reserved  to  them  within  the  colonies,  where 
settlements  had  been  permitted,  were  only  to  be  conducted 
by  the  authorities  of  the  colonies,  and  in  no  case  to  be  made 
by  individuals,  but  trade  with  the  Indians  was  to  be  free  and 
open  to  all,  on  taking  out  a  license  for  that  purpose  from  the 
Governor  or  Commander-in-chief  of  any  of  the  colonies. 

The  historical  department  of  the  London  Annual  Regis 
ter  for  1764,  alludes  significantly  to  the  terms  of  the  old 
colonial  charters,  which  had  no  other  bound  to  the  westward 
than  the  South  sea,  and  adds  that  "  nothing  could  be  more 
inconvenient,  or  attended  with  more  absurd  consequences, 
than  to  admit  the  execution  of  the  powers  in  those  grants  and 
distributions  of  territories  in  all  their  extent."  The  writer 
concludes  that  "  where  the  western  boundary  of  each  colony 
ought  to  be  settled  is  a  matter  which  must  admit  of  great 
dispute,  and  can,  to  all  appearance,  only  be  finally  adjusted 
by  the  interposition  of  Parliament." 

The  proclamation  in  question  was  claimed  by  Wash 
mgton,  Chancellor  Livingston  and  others,  to  have  been 
a  measure  of  temporary  expediency,  with  reference  to  the 
Indian  hostilities,  which  were  pending.  Such  was  the  favor 
ite  construction  among  the  colonists,  and  Virginia  was  not 
restrained  from  the  issue  of  patents,  very  soon  afterwards, 


WESTE1LN    COLONIAL    LIMITS.  130 

for  considerable  tracts  of  land  on  the  Ohio  far  beyond  the 
Appalachian  chain.  If  other  and  graver  questions  had  not 
interposed,  however,  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  this  question 
of  western  lands  would  have  led  to  serious  difficulty  with  the 
mother  country.  As  it  was,  the  embarrassment  was  thrown 
upon  the  first  epoch  of  our  national  independence,  and  threat 
ened  for  a  time  to  defeat  the  union  of  the  States.  At  length, 
by  a  series  of  patriotic  cessions,  the  wilderness  of  the  west 
became  the  domain  of  the  nation,  and,  as  such,  has  been 
productive  of  more  benefit  to  the  citizens  of  the  Atlantic  States 
than  if  the  untenable  claims  of  their  vague  charters  had  been 
successfully  asserted. 


CHAPTER   X. 

THE  EXPEDITIONS  AGAINST  THE  WESTERN  TRICES  UNDER 
BRADSTREET  AND  BOUQUET. 

IN  the  spring  of  1764,  the  frontiers  were  again  alarmed 
by  savage  incursions,  and  General  Thomas  Gage,  who  had 
succeeded  Sir  Jeffrey  Amherst,  in  the  command  of  the 
British  forces  in  North  America,  resolved  to  send  two  expe 
ditions  into  the  heart  of  the  enemy's  country — one  by  the 
route  of  the  lakes  and  another  westward  of  Fort  Pitt.  The 
northern  division  was  first  upon  the  march  under  the  com 
mand  of  Col.  John  Bradstreet.  It  consisted  of  eleven  hun 
dred  men,  chiefly  provincial  battalions  from  New  Jersey, 
New  York  and  Connecticut ;  that  of  Connecticut  led  by  Col. 
Israel  Putnam,  and  in  July  reached  Niagara.1  There  were 
gathered  the  representatives  of  twenty  or  more  tribes,  sup 
pliants  for  peace,  and  a  grand  council  was  held  by  Brad- 
street  and  Sir  William  Johnson,  at  which  the  powerful  Sen- 
ecas  were  the  first  to  bring  in  their  prisoners  and  accept  the 
terms  dictated  by  the  English  negotiators. 

Bradstreet  had  been  ordered  by  Gage  to  chastise  the  In 
dians  whenever  they  appeared  in  arms,  but  all  hostile  indica 
tions  ceased  on  his  advance.  On  the  12th  of  August,  when 
within  two  days'  march  of  Presque  Isle,  he  was  met  by  ten 
savages,  who  were  probably  Mingoes,  or  representatives  of 
the  New  York  tribes  settled  in  Ohio  and  near  Presque  Isle, 

1)  Albany  was  the  rendezvous  of  the  troops,  and  the  route  to  Niagara 

was  by  the  Mohawk,  Oneida  Lake,  Oswego  River  and  Lake  Ontario, 

(140) 


BRADSTREET'S  EXPEDITION.  141 

but  who  also  assumed  to  speak  for  the  Hurons  of  Sandusky, 
the  Shawanese  and  the  Delawares.  They  agreed  that  all 
prisoners  should  be  delivered  at  Sandusky  within  twenty-five 
days ;  that  six  of  the  deputation  should  be  retained  as  hos 
tages,  and  the  remaining  four,  accompanied  by  an  English 
officer  and  a  friendly  Indian,  should  inform  the  chiefs  of  what 
they  were  required  to  do ;  that  all  claims  to  the  forts  and 
posts  of  the  English  in  the  west  were  to  be  abandoned,  and 
leave  given  to  erect  as  many  forts  and  trading  houses  as 
might  be  necessary  for  the  security  of  the  traders,  with  a 
grant  of  as  much  land  around  each  post  as  a  cannon  could 
throw  a  shot  over ;  that  if  any  Indian  killed  an  Englishman 
he  was  to  be  delivered  at  Fort  Pitt  and  there  tried  by  Eng 
lish  law,  except  that  half  of  the  jury  were  to  be  Indians  of 
the  same  nation  as  the  offender ;  and  that  if  one  tribe  vio 
lated  the  peace  the  others  would  unite  in  punishing  them. 

There  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  Delawares,  Shawanese 
and  Wyandots,  had  never  authorized  these  Indians  to  stipu 
late  for  them,  since  the  first  two  tribes  continued  their  rava 
ges  after  the  treaty,  and  we  find  the  Wyandots,  when  Brad- 
street  reached  Sandusky,  making  their  separate  submission, 
and  agreeing  to  follow  him  to  Detroit  for  the  purpose  of 
concluding  a  treaty  there.  Parkman  insists  that  the  Indians 
who  thus  represented  the  Ohio  tribes  were  only  spies,  and 
that  Bradstreet  was  duped.2  We  notice  among  them  the 
name  of  Cuyashota,  which  we  suppose  to  have  been  that  of 
the  distinguished  Seneca  Chief,  Guyasootha  or  Kayashuta, 
who  was  almost  as  prominent  as  Pontiac  himself  in  organi 
zing  the  conspiracy  of  the  year  before.  The  seat  of  his 
power  and  influence  was  on  the  upper  Alleghany  or  near 
Presque  Isle,  and  his  concurrence  gives  a  high  sanction  to 

2)  Conspiracy  of  Pontiac,  461. 


142  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

Bradstreet's  treaty  of  August  12,  1764.  We  shall  after 
wards  find  Kayashuta  active  in  the  surrender  of  prisoners  to 
Col.  Bouquet  on  the  Muskingum,  and  the  same  chief,  at  a 
conference  held  in  Pittsburgh,  by  George  Croghan,  four 
years  afterwards,  (May  4,  1708,)  produced  a  copy  of  the 
treaty  with  Col.  Bradstreet,  and  avowed  its  validity,  and  his 
constant  adherence  to  its  provisions.3 

Bradstreet  was  so  sanguine,  not  only  that  a  binding  treaty 
with  the  Ohio  tribes  had  been  concluded  by  him,  but  also  of 
a  ready  compliance  on  their  part  with  all  the  stipulations, 
that,  on  the  14th  of  August  he  wrote  to  Col.  Bouquet,  who 
was  preparing  to  leave  the  Pennsylvania  frontier  on  the 
southern  expedition  to  the  Ohio,  requesting  him  to  withdraw 
his  troops.  The  latter,  perceiving  that  the  Delawarcs  and 
Shawanesc  continued  their  depredations,  declined  to  comply, 
and  determined  to  prosecute  his  plan  without  remission,  till 
he  should  receive  further  instructions  from  head  quarters. 
Gen.  Gage  applauded  his  determination,  "annulling  and  dis 
avowing"  the  treaty  at  Presque  Isle. 

Bradstreet  continued  his  route  to  Detroit,  sparing  the  San- 
dusky  villages,  on  a  pledge  that  the  Wyandots  would  make 
their  submission  at  Detroit,  where  his  army  arrived  safely  on 
the  26th  of  August.  A  detachment  was  sent  to  take  pos 
session  of  Michillimacinac,  and  on  the  7th  of  September  a 
council  was  held  at  Detroit,  which  effectually  pacified  the 
northwestern  tribes.  Towards  the  head  waters  of  the  Mau- 
mee,  however,  w^ere  gathered  many  of  the  Ottawas  and  other 
immediate  adherents  of  Pontiac,  who  were  insolent  and  tur 
bulent.  An  envoy  of  Bradstreet,  Capt.  Morris,  as  he  ap 
proached  the  camp  of  the  Indian  leader,  was  confronted  by 

3)  Craig's  Olden  Time,  i.  344-67. 


BRADSTREET  S    EXPEDITION.  ItfcO 

the  chief  with  menace  and  insult,  making  a  narrow  escape 
of  life  from  the  hostile  savages. 

In  respect  to  the  subsequent  movements  of  Col.  Bradstreet, 
we  have  the  authority  of  Hutchins,4  the  well-known  histori 
an  of  the  contemporary  expedition  under  Col.  Bouquet,  that 
the  plan  of  the  campaign  had  been,  that  "  the  two  corps 
were  to  act  in  concert,  and  as  that  of  Col.  Bradstreet  could 
be  ready  much  sooner  than  the  other,  he  was  to  proceed  to 
Detroit,  Michillimacinac  and  other  places.  On  his  return, 
he  was  to  encamp  and  remain  at  Sandusky,  to  awe,  by  that 
position,  the  numerous  tribes  of  western  Indians,  so  as  to 
prevent  their  sending  any  assistance  to  the  Ohio  Indians, 
while  Col.  Bouquet  should  execute  his  plan  of  attacking  them 
in  the  heart  of  their  settlements." 

These  instructions  were  promptly  executed,  and  during 
the  month  of  September  Bradstreet  returned  to  Sandusky. 
Here  dispatches  were  received  from  Gen.  Gage,  condemning 
the  indulgent  treaty  at  Presque  Isle  in  severe  terms,  and 
ordering  him  to  advance  upon  the  Indians  living  on  the  Sci- 
oto  plains.  At  the  same  time,  the  journal  of  Morris,  disclo 
sing  the  hostile  dispositions  of  the  Indians  upon  the  upper 
Maumee,  reached  Bradstreet,  and  it  was  probably  apparent 
to  him,  that  the  Ottawas  and  Miamis,  who  wrere  reported  to 
have  murdered  their  white  prisoners,  and  who  still  rallied 
around  Pontiac,  were  more  properly  an  object  of  chastise 
ment  than  the  Scioto  villages.  It  was  true  that  the  pledges 
for  the  return  of  prisoners  which  were  made  to  him  in  August 
were  not  redeemed,  but  then  it  wras  to  be  considered  that  the 
Delawares  and  Shawansse,  who  held  most  of  them,  were 

4)  Thomas  Hutchins,  afterwards  Geographer  of  the  United  States,  and 
who  accompanied  Bouquet  as  "  Assistant  Engineer." 


144  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

remote  from  Sandusky,  and  were  already  confronted  by  the 
army  of  Bouquet  making  a  similar  demand. 

Under  these  circumstances,  we  think  Parkman's  strictures 
upon  Bradstreet  are  unnecessarily  severe.  He  admits  that 
the  water  in  the  Sandusky  River  was  low  with  drought,  while 
the  Cuyahoga  route  was  circuitous  and  difficult  of  portage, 
and  that  sickness  was  prevalent  in  the  camp,  and,  it  might 
be  added,  the  stormy  season  of  lake  navigation  was  at  hand. 
Bradstreet  passed  a  month  in  Sandusky  Lake  and  up  the 
river  as  far  as  navigable  to  Indian  canoes,  when,  as  he  wrote 
to  Colonel  Bouquet,  "lie  found  it  impossible  to  stay  longer 
in  those  parts,  absolute  necessity  requiring  him  to  turn  off 
the  other  way." 

The  return  was  unfortunate.  As  the  boats  of  the  army 
were  opposite  the  iron-bound  precipices  west  of  Cuyahoga,  a 
storm  descended  upon  them,  destroying  several  and  throwing 
the  whole  into  confusion.  For  three  days  the  tempest  raged 
unceasingly ;  and  when  the  angry  lake  began  to  resume  its 
tranquillity,  it  was  found  that  the  remaining  boats  were  in 
sufficient  to  convey  the  troops.  A  large  body  of  Indians, 
together  with  a  detachment  of  provincials,  were  therefore 
ordered  to  make  their  way  to  Niagara  along  the  pathless 
borders  of  the  lake.  They  accordingly  set  out,  and,  after 
many  days  of  hardships,  reached  their  destination ;  though 
such  had  been  their  sufferings,  from  fatigue,  cold,  and  hun 
ger,  from  wading  swamps,  swimming  creeks  and  rivers,  and 
pushing  their  way  through  tangled  thickets,  that  many  of 
the  provincials  perished  miserably  in  the  woods.  On  the 
fourth  of  November,  seventeen  days  after  their  departure 
from  Sandusky,  the  main  body  of  the  little  army  arrived 
safely  at  Niagara,  and  the  whole,  re  embarking  on  Lake  On 
tario,  proceeded  towards  Oswego.  Fortune  still  seemed  ad- 


BOUQUET'S  MUSKINGUM  EXPEDITION.  145 

verso ;  for  a  second  tempest  arose,  and  one  of  the  schooners, 
crowded  with  troops,  foundered  in  sight  of  Oswego,  though 
most  of  the  men  were  saved.  The  route  to  the  settlements 
was  nowr  a  short  and  easy  one.  On  their  arrival,  the  regu 
lars  went  into  quarters,  while  the  troops  levied  for  the  cam 
paign  were  sent  home  to  their  respective  provinces.5 

The  expedition  to  the  Muskingum  was  fortunate  in  its  re 
sults,  and  also  in  having  so  intelligent  an  historian  as  Thomas 
Hut-chins,  and  is  therefore  better  known  than  any  contempo 
rary  occurrence  in  the  West.  Its  leader,  distinguished  by 
the  success  of  Bushy  Run,  at  the  most  critical  period  of  the 
campaign  of  1TG3,  enjoyed  the  full  confidence  of  Gage,  the 
Commander-in-chief,  and  of  the  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia 
Governments.  Besides  five  hundred  regulars,  Pennsylvania 
sent  a  thousand  men,  and  Virginia  replaced  the  desertions 
by  a  corps  of  volunteers. 

It  was  October  before  the  troops  took  up  their  march  from 
Fort  Pitt.  Bouquet  had  previously  seized  three  Indians, 
who  sought  a  conference,  but  wrere  probably  spies,  and  on 
the  20th  of  September  he  sent  one  of  them  to  the  Delaware 
and  Shawanese  chiefs,  demanding,  that  they  should  furnish 
two  guides  for  an  express  to  Col.  Bradstreet,  and  threaten 
ing  to  avenge  any  molestation  of  the  messengers,  by  putting 
the  two  captive  Indians  to  death.  He  allowed  twenty  days 
for  the  trip  to  Detroit.  This  firm  and  determined  conduct 
in  opening  the  campaign,  produced  a  favorable  effect  upon 
its  prosecution.  Two  Indian  runners  were  promptly  sent  to 
accompany  the  express.6 

On  the  3d  of  October,  the  army  decamped  from  Fort  Pitt, 
and  next  day  reached  the  Ohio  River  at  the  beginning  of  the 

5)  Parkman's  Pontiac,  476. 

0)  Hutchins'  Account  of  Bouquet's  expedition,  5  ct  scq. 


146  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

narrows,  following  the  course  of  the  river  along  a  flat  grav 
elly  beach  for  about  six  miles.  When  opposite  the  lower 
end  of  a  considerable  island,  the  army  left  the  river — the 
distance  from  Fort  Pitt  being  then  about  ten  miles.  Passing 
Logstown  and  crossing  Big  Beaver  River  near  its  junction 
with  the  Ohio,  the  course  of  the  army  was  westward,  appa 
rently  crossing  the  present  boundary  of  Ohio  near  the  line 
between  Middleton  and  St.  Clair  townships  in  Columbiana 
county. 

On  the  9th,  the  army  encamped  on  Yellow  creek.  Du 
ring  the  day's  march,  (which  was  only  five  miles,  from  the 
necessity  of  cutting  a  road  through  some  dense  thickets) 
the  path  divided  into  two  branches,  that  to  the  southwest 
leading  to  the  lower  towns  upon  the  Muskingum,  and  at  the 
forks  stood  several  trees  painted  by  the  Indians  in  a  hiero 
glyphic  manner,  denoting  the  number  of  wars  in  which  they 
had  been  engaged,  and  the  particulars  of  their  success  in 
prisoners  and  scalps.  Crossing  Yellow  creek,  one  mile 
above,  the  next  encampment  was  on  a  branch  of  Muskingum, 
fifty  yards  wide. 

The  country  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Muskingum  (desig 
nated  Sandy  creek  at  this  point  on  modern  maps)  for  ten 
miles  east  of  the  Nimisehillen  creek  is  described  as  "fine 
land,  watered  with  small  rivers  and  springs,  where  were 
several  savannahs  or  cleared  spots,  which  are  by  nature 
extremely  beautiful,  the  second  being,  in  particular,  one 
continued  plain  of  nearly  two  miles,  with  a  fine  rising 
ground,  forming  a  semicircle  round  the  right  hand  side,  and 
a  pleasant  stream  of  water  at  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  dis 
tant  on  the  left." 

Crossing,  on  Saturday,  October  13,  Nimisehillen,  (written 
by  Ilutchins,  Nemenshchelas)  and  another  small  stream ; 


BOUQUET'S  MUSKINGUM  EXPEDITION.  147 

the  army  defiled  between  a  high  ridge  on  the  right,  and 
Sandy  on  the  left,  for  a  distance  of  seventy  perches,  passed  a 
very  rich  bottom,  and  came  to  the  main  branch  of  Muskingum, 
about  seventy  yards  wide,  with  a  good  ford.  "A  little  below 
and  above,"  adds  Hutchins,  "is  Tuscarawas,  a  place 
exceedingly  beautiful  by  situation,  the  lands  rich  on  both 
sides  of  the  river ;  the  country  on  the  northwest  side  being 
an  entire  level  plain,  upwards  of  five  miles  in  circumference." 
He  estimated,  from  the  appearance  of  the  "ruined  houses," 
that  the  Indians  who  had  inhabited  these  were  as  many  as 
one  hundred  and  fifty  warriors.7 

Thus,  after  a  march  of  twelve  days,  or  one  hundred  and 
ten  miles,  the  army  reached  a  point,  which,  more  than  any 
other,  is  noted  in  our  ante-territorial  annals.  Here  letters 
were  received  from  Col.  Bradstreet,  by  the  messengers  sent 
with  Indian  guides  from  Fort  Pitt.  They  had  been  detained 
for  a  few  days  at  a  Delaware  village,  sixteen  miles  distant, 
but  on  the  approach  of  the  troops,  they  were  set  at  liberty 
with  a  message  to  Colonel  Bouquet,  that  the  headmen  of  the 
Delawares  and  Shawanese  were  coming  as  soon  as  possible, 
to  treat  of  peace  with  him. 

The  army  encamped  two  miles  further  down  the  Muskingum 
on  the  loth,  where  the  river  was  a  hundred  yards  wide  and 
overlooked  by  a  fine  level  country,  extending  from  a  high 
bank  some  distance  back,  producing  stately  timber,  free  from 
underwood,  and  with  plenty  of  food  for  cattle ;  here  a  bower 
was  erected  at  a  short  distance  from  the  camp.  At  this 
place  the  Indian  chiefs  and  warriors,  who  were  assembled 
eight  miles  off,  were  notified  to  appear  on  the  17th.  When 

7)  Three  years  before,  in  January,  17G1,  Rogers  had  found  Tuscarora  a 
populous  town.  It  was  probably  deserted  on  the  approach  of  Bouquet's 


148  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

that  day  arrived,  Colonel  Bouquet,  "  with  most  of  the  regular 
troops,  Virginia  volunteers  and  light  horse,  marched  from  the 
camp  to  the  bower  erected  for  the  congress  ;  and  soon  after 
the  troops  were  stationed,  so  as  to  appear  to  the  best  advan 
tage,  the  Indians  arrived,  and  were  conducted  to  the  bower. 
Being  seated,  they  began  in  a  short  time  to  smoke  their  pipe 
or  calumet,  agreeable  to  their  custom.  This  ceremony  being 
over,  their  speakers  laid  down  their  pipes  and  opened  their 
pouches,  wherein  were  their  strings  or  belts  of  wampum. 
The  Indians  present  were — 

jSenecas — Kiyashuta,  chief,  with  fifteen  warriors. 

Delaware^ — Custaloga,  chief  of  the  Wolf  tribe ;  Beaver, 
chief  of  the  Turkey  tribe,  with  twenty  warriors. 

Shawanese — Keissinautchtha,  a  chief,  and  six  warriors. 

Kiyashuta,  Turtle-Heart,  Custaloga  and  Beaver  were  the 
chief  speakers." 

The  submission  of  these  savages  was  so  unconditional  and 
abject  as  completely  to  tame  their  eloquence.  Not  until  the 
20th  was  an  answer  vouchsafed  to  them.  They  were  then 
required  within  twelve  days  to  deliver  at  Wautamike,  (an 
Indian  village  a  short  distance  below  the  mouth  of  White- 
woman  or  Mohican  river  in  Coshocton  county,)  all  their 
prisoners,  without  exception,  Englishmen,  Frenchmen,  women 
and  children,  whether  adopted  or  not,  as  well  as  all  negroes, 
furnishing  at  the  same  time  clothing,  provisions  and  horses 
for  their  journey  to  Fort  Pitt. 

The  Delawares,  at  the  close  of  their  speeches  on  the  17th, 
had  delivered  eighteen  white  prisoners,  and  eighty-three 
small  sticks  expressing  the  number  of  captives  yet  to  be 
delivered.  The  Shawanese  deputy,  in  the  absence  of  the 
chiefs  of  his  tribe,  sullenly  assented  to  the  terms  prescribed. 
Kiyashuta  addressed  the  Indians  with  an  exhortation  to  com- 


BOUQUET'S  MUSKINGUM  EXPEDITION.  149 

ply  faithfully  with  their  engagements,  and  Col.  Bouquet 
determined  to  march  still  further  into  the  Indian  country, 
believing  that  the  presence  of  his  army  was  the  best  security 
for  a  compliance  with  his  requisitions.  He  was  attended  by 
the  Indian  deputations — Kiyashuta,  as  zealous  now  for  peace 
as  he  had  been  resolute  in  the  late  war,  volunteering  as  the 
guide. 

Three  days'  march,  or  a  distance  of  about  twenty-one 
miles,  brought  the  troops  within  a  mile  of  the  Coshocton  forks 
of  the  Muskingum,  which  was  fixed  upon  instead  of  Wakata- 
raake  as  the  most  central  and  convenient  place  to  receive  the 
prisoners,  "for,"  as  Hutchins  continues,  "the  principal  In 
dian  towns  now  lay  around  them,  distant  from  seven  to  twenty 
miles,  excepting  only  the  lower  Shawanese  town  situated  on 
Scioto  River,  which  was  about  eighty  miles ;  so  that  from 
this  place  the  army  had  it  in  their  power  to  awe  all  the  ene 
my's  settlements  and  destroy  their  towns,  if  they  should  not 
punctually  fulfill  the  engagements  they  had  entered  into. 
Four  redoubts  were  built  here  opposite  to  the  four  angles  of 
the  camp  ;  the  ground  on  the  front  was  cleared  ;  a  storehouse 
for  the  provisions  erected,  and  likewise  a  house  to  receive  and 
treat  of  peace  with  the  Indians,  when  they  should  return. 
Three  houses,  with  separate  apartments,  were  also  raised  for 
the  reception  of  the  captives  of  the  respective  provinces,  and 
proper  officers  to  take  charge  of  them,  with  a  matron  to  attend 
the  women  and  children ;  so  that,  with  the  officers,  mess- 
houses,  ovens,  &c.,  this  camp  had  the  appearance  of  a  little 
town  in  which  the  greatest  order  and  regularity  were 
observed." 

Nothing  of  interest  transpired  before  the  9th  of  November, 
except  the  arrival  of  Peter,  a  Caughnawaga  chief,  and  twenty 
Indians  of  his  nation,  who  brought  letters  from  Col.  Brad- 


150  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

street,  at  Sandusky,  announcing  his  speedy  return  to  Niagara. 
At  length  all  the  prisoners  were  delivered,  except  one  hun 
dred  in  possession  of  the  Shawanese,  for  whose  surrender  in 
the  spring  hostages  were  demanded  and  given.  The  number 
of  prisoners  thus  surrendered  was  two  hundred  and  six,  of 
whom  thirty-two  males  and  forty-eight  females  and  children 
were  Virginians,  and  forty-nine  males  and  sixty-seven  females 
and  children  were  Pennsylvanians. 

On  the  9th  commenced  the  closing  scenes  in  Indian  coun 
cil.  The  Senecas  and  the  Wolf  or  Muncie  tribe  of  Dclawarcs 
were  first  treated  with — Kiyashuta  and  ten  warriors  repre 
senting  the  former,  and  Custaloga  and  twenty  warriors  the 
latter.  Most  of  their  prisoners  were  already  delivered,  and 
they  now  brought  forward  only  three,  "  the  last  of  your  flesh 
and  blood,"  said  they  to  the  Americans,  "  that  remained 
among  the  Senecas  and  Custaloga's  tribe  of  Dclawares." 
Then  followed  their  figurative  professions  of  peace.  "  We 
gather  together,"  continued  Kiyashuta,  "  and  bury  with  this 
belt  all  the  bones  of  the  people  that  have  been  killed  during 
this  unhappy  war,  which  the  evil  spirit  occasioned  among  us. 
We  cover  the  bones  that  have  been  buried,  that  they  may 
never  more  be  remembered.  We  again  cover  their  place 
with  leaves,  that  it  may  no  more  be  seen.  As  we  have  been 
long  astray,  and  the  path  between  you  and  us  stopped,  we 
extend  this  belt  that  it  may  be  again  cleared,  and  we  may 
travel  in  peace  to  see  our  brethren,  as  our  ancestors  formerly 
did.  While  you  hold  it  fast  by  one  end,  and  we  by  the 
other,  we  shall  always  be  able  to  discover  anything  that  may 
disturb  our  friendship." 

In  reply,  Colonel  Bouquet  took  the  chiefs  by  the  hand  for 
the  first  time,  and  informed  them  that  while  he  should  wage 
no  war  against  them,  still  a  formal  peace  would  be  concluded 


BOUQUET'S  MUSKINGUM  EXPEDITION.  151 

by  Sir  William  Johnson,  to  whom  they  were  to  send  deputies 
fully  authorized  to  treat.  For  this  purpose  hostages  would 
be  retained,  but  Capt.  Pipe  and  Capt.  John,  who  were  seized 
at  Fort  Pitt,  were  set  at  liberty,  greatly  to  the  joy  of  their 
Delaware  brethren. 

A  similar  conference  was  held  next  day,  with  the  Turkey 
and  Turtle  tribes  of  Delaware®,  King  Beaver,  their  chief,  and 
thirty  warriors  representing  the  former,  and  Kelappana, 
brother  to  their  chief,  with  twenty-five  warriors,  the  latter. 
Displeased  at  the  absence  of  Nettowhatways,  the  chief  of 
the  Turtle  Delawarcs,  Col.  Bouquet  proclaimed  that  he  was 
deposed  from  his  chiefship,  whereupon  the  tribe  submissively 
named  and  installed  his  successor. 

The  12th  of  November  witnessed  an  interview  between 
the  fierce  Shawanese  and  the  English  commanders.  On  the 
part  of  the  Indians,  Keissinautchtha  and  Nimwha,  their 
chiefs,  with  the  Red  Hawk,  Lavissimo,  Bensivasica,  Ewee- 
cunwee,  Keigleighque  and  forty  warriors,  appeared.  The 
Caughnawaga,  Seneca  and  Delaware  chiefs,  with  sixty  war 
riors,  wrere  also  present. 

The  Red  Hawk  was  their  speaker.  "Brother,"  he  said 
proudly,  "when  we  saw  you  coming  this  road,  you  advanced 
toward  us  with  a  tomahawk  in  your  hand;  but  we  your 
younger  brothers  take  it  out  of  your  hands  and  throw  it  up 
to  God  to  dispose  of  as  he  pleases  ;  by  which  means  we  hope 
never  to  see  it  more.  And  now,  brother,  we  beg  leave  that 
you  who  are  a  warrior,  will  take  hold  of  this  chain  (giving  a 
string)  of  friendship,  and  receive  it  from  us,  who  are  also 
warriors,  and  let  us  think  no  more  of  war,  in  pity  to  our 
old  men,  women  and  children — intimating  that  it  was  com 
passion  for  them,  not  weakness  of  the  nation,  that  closed  the 


HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

In  reply,  Colonel  Bouquet  severely  rebuked  the  Shawa- 
nese  for  their  omission  to  restore  their  captives  at  the  pres 
ent  conference,  but  sternly  enjoined  their  delivery  in  the 
spring,  and  their  humane  treatment  meanwhile.  The  engage 
ments  of  the  Indians  in  both  respects  were  fully  and  honora 
bly  redeemed. 

Ilutchins  reserves  to  the  close  of  his  narrative,  the  delin 
eation  of  the  scenes  which  were  witnessed  on  the  meetings 
of  the  prisoners  with  their  relatives  who  had  accompanied 
the  march  of  the  army.  We  copy  what  has  also  furnished  a 
theme  for  the  historic  pencil  of  West. 

"  Language  indeed  can  but  weakly  describe  the  scene, 
one  to  which  the  poet  or  painter  might  have  repaired  to 
enrich  the  highest  colorings  of  the  variety  of  human  passions ; 
the  philosopher  to  find  ample  subject  for  the  most  serious 
reflection,  and  the  man  to  exercise  all  the  tender  and  sympa 
thetic  feelings  of  the  soul.  There  were  to  be  seen  fathers 
and  mothers  recognizing  and  clasping  their  once  lost  babes, 
husbands  hanging  round  the  necks  of  their  newly  recovered 
wives,  sisters  and  brothers  unexpectedly  meeting  together, 
after  a  long  separation,  scarcely  able  to  speak  the  same  lan 
guage,  or  for  some  time  to  be  sure  that  they  were  the  chil 
dren  of  the  same  parents.  In  all  these  interviews,  joy  and 
rapture  inexpressible  were  seen,  while  feelings  of  a  very  dif 
ferent  nature  were  painted  in  the  looks  of  others,  flying  from 
place  to  place,  in  eager  inquiries  after  relatives  not  found ; 
trembling  to  receive  an  answer  to  questions ;  distracted  with 
doubts,  hopes  and  fears  on  obtaining  no  account  of  those  they 
sought  for ;  or  stiffened  into  living  monuments  of  horror  and 
woe,  on  learning  their  unhappy  fate. 

"  The  Indians  too,  as  if  wholly  forgetting  their  usual  sav- 
ageriess,  bore  a  capital  part  in  heightening  this  most  affect- 


BOUQUET'S  MUSKINGUM  EXPEDITION.  153 

ing  scene.  They  delivered  up  their  beloved  captives  with 
the  utmost  reluctance — shed  torrrents  of  tears  over  them — 
recommending  them  to  the  care  and  protection  of  the  com 
manding  officer.  Their  regard  to  them  continued  all  the 
while  they  remained  in  camp.  They  visited  them  from  day 
to  day,  brought  them  wheat,  corn,  skins,  horses,  and  other 
matters  that  were  bestowed  upon  them  while  in  their  families, 
accompanied  with  other  presents,  and  all  the  marks  of  the 
most  sincere  and  tender  affection.  Nay,  they  did'rit  stop 
here,  but  when  the  army  marched,  some  of  the  Indians 
solicited  and  obtained  permission  to  accompany  their  former 
captives  to  Fort  Pitt,  and  employed  themselves  in  hunting 
and  bringing  provisions  for  them  on  the  way.  A  young 
Mingo  carried  this  still  further,  and  gave  an  instance  of  love, 
which  would  make  a  figure  even  in  romance.  A  young 
woman  of  A^irginia  was  among  the  captives,  to  whom  he  had 
formed  so  strong  an  attachment  as  to  call  her  his  wife. 
Against  all  the  remonstrances  of  the  imminent  danger  to 
which  he  exposed  himself  by  approaching  the  frontier,  he 
persisted  in  following  her,  at  the  risk  of  being  killed  by  the 
surviving  relatives  of  many  unfortunate  persons  who  had 
been  captured  or  scalped  by  those  of  his  nation. 

"  Among  the  captives,  a  woman  was  brought  into  camp  at 
Muskingum,  with  a  babe  about  three  months  old,  at  the 
breast.  One  of  the  Virginia  volunteers  soon  knew  her  to  be 
his  wife.  She  had  been  taken  by  the  Indians  about  six 
months  before.  He  flew  with  her  to  his  tent  and  clothed  her 
and  his  child  with  proper  apparel.  But  their  joy,  after  the 
first  transports,  was  soon  dampened  by  the  reflection  that 
another  dear  child,  about  two  years  old,  taken  with  the 
mother,  had  been  separated  from  her,  and  was  still  missing, 
although  many  children  had  been  brought  in. 


154  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

"  A  few  days  afterwards,  a  number  of  other  persons  were 
brought  in,  among  them  were  several  children.  The  woman 
was  sent  for,  and  one  supposed  to  be  hers  was  produced  to 
her.  At  first  sight  she  was  not  certain,  but  viewing  the 
child  with  great  earnestness,  she  soon  recollected  its  features, 
and  was  so  overcome  with  joy,  that  forgetting  her  sucking 
child,  she  dropped  it  from  her  arms,  and  catching  up  the 
new-found  child,  in  ecstacy  pressed  it  to  her  breast,  and 
bursting  into  tears,  carried  it  oif  unable  to  speak  for  joy. 
The  father,  rising  up  with  the  babe  she  had  let  fall,  followed 
her  in  no  less  transport  and  affection. 

"  But  it  must  not  be  deemed  that  there  were  not  some, 
even  grown  persons,  who  showed  an  unwillingness  to  return. 
The  Shawnees  were  obliged  to  bind  some  of  their  prisoners 
and  force  them  along  to  the  camp,  and  some  women  that  had 
been  delivered  up,  afterwards  found  means  to  escape,  and 
went  back  to  the  Indian  tribes.  Some  who  could  not  make 
their  escape,  clung  to  their  savage  acquaintances  at  parting, 
and  continued  many  days  in  bitter  lamentations,  even  refusing 
sustenance." 

On  the  18th  of  November,  the  army  broke  up  its  canton 
ment  at  the  White  woman  and  returned  to  Fort  Pitt,  which 
they  reached  on  the  28th  of  the  same  month.  This  expedi 
tion  was  conducted  with  such  skill  and  prudence  as  to  avoid 
all  disaster,  except  the  loss  of  one  man,  who  was  killed  and 
scalped  by  an  Indian,  when  separated  from  camp.  The 
Pennsylvania  troops  were  under  Lieut.  Col.  Francis  and 
Lieut.  Col.  Clayton.  Col.  Reid  was  next  in  command  to  Col. 
Bouquet. 

The  provincial  troops  were  discharged,  and  the  regulars 
sent  to  garrison  Fort  Loudon,  Fort  Bedford  and  Carlisle. 
Col.  Bouquet  arrived  at  Philadelphia  in  January  and  re- 


HENRY   BOUQUET.  155 

ccivcd  a  complimentary  address  from  the  Legislature,  and 
also  from  the  House  of  Burgesses  of  Virginia.  Before  these 
resolutions  reached  England,  the  King  promoted  him  to  be  a 
Brigadier  General.  He  was  ordered  to  the  command  of  the 

O 

post  at  Mobile,  and  died  within  three  years  after  his  return 
from  Muskingum,  of  a  fever  contracted  at  Pensacola. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

OLD  MAPS  AND  INDIAN  TRAILS. 

THE  value  of  ancient  maps  to  the  student  of  history  is 
almost  incalculable.  They  furnish,  at  a  glance,  a  complete 
summary  of  contemporary  history  as  well  as  of  geography. 
A  collection  of  the  old  maps,  published  during  the  colonization 
and  subsequent  settlement  of  North  America,  might  almost 
dispense  with  the  printed  page,  and  would  certainly  constitute 
its  best  elucidation.  We  have  described  the  charts  of  Hcn- 
nepin  and  La  Hontan,  whose  ludicrous  conceptions  of  western 
geography  are  yet  full  of  interest,  and  the  map  now  in  ques 
tion,  nearly  a  hundred  years  later  in  date,  is  equally  remark 
able  for  its  political  features.  The  mere  geography  of  the 
continent — the  courses  of  streams  and  mountains  and  the 
outlines  of  lake  and  sea  coast — are  delineated  with  consider 
able  correctness,  but  all  other  objects  indicate  an  extraordinary 
contrast  with  the  present  situation  of  things.  However  diffi 
cult  the  task  of  description,  still,  so  far  as  a  few  general 
details  will  avail,  it  may  be  well  to  attempt  a  verbal  synopsis. 

MAP  OF  THE  BRITISH  POSSESSIONS  IN  1763 

This  map  is  published  with  the  Annual  Register  for  1763, 
immediately  after  the  cession  by  France  to  Great  Britain,  and 
delineates  the  "  British  Dominions  in  North  America,  with  the 
limits  of  the  Governments  annexed  thereto  by  the  late  treaty  of 
peace  and  settled  by  proclamation — October  7th,  1763 — En 
graved  by  T.  Kitchin.  Geos;'r." 

(156) 


ANCIENT   MAPS.  157 

What  is  now  the  State  of  Maine  is  put  clown  as  "  York 
County,"  arid  included  within  New  England.  New  York 
embraces  Upper  Canada,  including  the  entire  peninsula 
between  Lakes  Huron,  Erie  and  Ontario,  and  with  a  fair 
presumption  from  the  lines  of  boundary,  that  the  colony  was 
nominally  extended  across  the  peninsula  of  Michigan.  This 
State  is  greatly  shorn  of  its  southern  proportions,  however, 
for  the  northern  line  of  Pennsylvania  is  carried  as  far  as  the 
parallel  of  Buffalo,  and  thence  eastwardly  to  Otsego  Lake, 
near  Cooperstown,  whence  it  strikes  south  to  the  Delaware 
River.  Virginia  is  extended  west  to  the  Mississippi  as  nearly 
as  possible  within  the  southern  line  of  Kentucky  and  Virginia, 
and  for  a  northern  boundary,  by  the  route  of  the  National 
Road,  or  from  Wheeling  west  to  Quincy,  Illinois.  North 
Carolina,  South  Carolina  and  Georgia  are  also  extended  in 
strips  of  about  the  same  width  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Mis 
sissippi.  West  Florida  is  a  narrow  parallelogram  between 
the  Apalachicola  and  Mississippi  Rivers,  now  divided  in  nearly 
equal  instalments  between  Florida,  Alabama,  Mississippi  and 
Louisiana,  while  East  Florida  is  about  the  same  as  laid  down 
on  modern  maps,  except  that  it  is  now  extended  two  and  a  half 
degrees  west  of  the  Apalachicola  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  All 
the  country  west  of  the  Mississippi  is  Louisiana. 

The  region  afterwards  organized  as  the  Northwest  Terri 
tory,  except  the  portion  lying  south  of  the  latitude  of  Wheel 
ing  and  Columbus,  which  was  included  within  the  claim  of 
Virginia,  has  no  political  classification,  and  seems  to  be 
recognized  as  Indian  territory,  subject  generally  to  the  crown 
of  England. 

The  map  is  extremely  meagre  and  inaccurate  so  far  as  the 
region  which  is  now  Ohio,  is  concerned.  For  instance,  the 
mouth  of  the  Great  Miami  River,  at  the  North  Bend  of  the 


158  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

Ohio,  is  presented  to  be  as  much  west  of  the  longitude  of 
Fort  Wayne  (then  Fort  Miami,)  as  it  is  actually  east  of  that 
locality — an  error  of  full  one  degree  to  the  westward.  The 
English  trading  post,  fifty  miles  above  Dayton,  which  was 
destroyed  by  the  French  in  1752,  and  is  known  in  our  his 
tory  as  Loramie  station,  is  put  down  as  "  Pickawillany  ;"  it 
is  correctly  represented  as  on  the  upper  waters  of  the  Great 
Miami  or  "  G.  Miamee"  River.  The  "  Sciota  "  River  is 
correct,  with  a  "Delaware  town"  near  the  present  county 
of  the  same  name;  uElk  River"  is  also  laid  down  in  the 
proper  place  and  direction,  with  a  village  of  "  Muskingum," 
situated  on  the  western  trail  from  Fort  Pitt ;  and  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Cuyahoga  River,  (of  which  there  is  no  trace,) 
there  is  a  town  called  "  Gwahago,"  doubtless  intended  for 
Cayahaga. 

On  reaching  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  the  poverty 
of  the  map  becomes  still  more  conspicuous.  The  only  village 
or  settlement  from  Detroit  to  Niagara  is  "  Sandoski,"  which 
is  represented  to  be  on  the  same  line  of  longitude  as  the 
mouth  of  Elk  or  Muskingum  River — that  is,  as  far  east  as 
Cleveland.  It  stands  on  a  bay,  but  no  signs  of  a  river.  No 
stream  in  Northern  Ohio  is  indicated,  except  the  Maumee, 
which  is  faintly  traced  at  the  right  point,  and  on  which,  at  a 
reasonable  distance  from  the  mouth,  stands  "Miamis"  or 
Fort  Wayne. 

Only  ninety  years  since  and  such  was  the  knowledge  of 
the  country  now  organized  as  the  third  State  of  the  American 
Union.  It  is  recorded  in  a  work  of  the  highest  authority. 
Such  a  circumstance  almost  surpasses  belief.  As  for  "  San 
doski,"  the  fort  was  burned  in  May,  1763,  and  since  it  was 
never  rebuilt,  the  map  may  refer  to  what  had  been  and  yet 
was  a  point  of  historical  interest,  or  it  might  be  a  mode  of 


ANCIENT   MAPS.  159 

designating  the  Indian  villages  which  were  known  to  adjoin 
the  Lake  Junanclat  or  Sandusky.  This,  of  course,  must  now 
rest  altogether  in  conjecture. 

HUTCIIIXS'  MAP  OP  1763  AND  POWNALL'S  MAP  OF  1776. 

We  shall  refer  to  these  publications  only  so  far  as  they  deline 
ate  our  Ohio  region.  Their  geographical  outlines  are  hardly  as 
disproportionate  and  imperfect  as  those  of  the  London  map 
already  described,  and  they  especially  include  many  new 
details  of  the  Indian  villages  and  the  natural  features  of  the 
country. 

A  prominent  object  is  the  "  Salt  Springs."  They  are 
indicated  on  the  Mahoning  River,  which  were  doubtless  within 
the  present  township  of  Weathersfield,  near  Warren,  in 
Trumbull  county ;  on  the  Salt  creek,  east  of  the  Scioto 
River,  and  within  the  present  county  of  Jackson ;  on  the 
Little  Miami,  apparently  within  Warren  county,  and  on  the 
Great  Miami,  near  the  site  of  Dayton.  The  first  two  locali 
ties  are  readily  identified  at  the  present  time.  Coal  is  noted 
near  the  Tuscarawas  forks  of  the  Muskingum  and  about  mid 
way  of  the  right  bank  of  the  Hockhocking.  Opposite  Wheel 
ing  are  "Ancient  Sculptures;"  in  Jefferson  county,  at  or 
about  Mount  Pleasant,  is  "petroleum:"  on  the  Mad  River, 
near  the  northwest  angle  of  Greene  county,  is  "limestone," 
and  on  the  Hocking  and  Ohio  Rivers,  above  their  junction 
respectively,  is  "  freestone."  Hutchins  also  mentions  a 
"  lead  mine"  on  Walnut  creek,  a  stream  which  falls  into  the 
Scioto  above  Circleville. 

We  should  infer  from  these  maps  that  there  were  five  Del 
aware  villages  within  a  few  miles  from  each  other  on  the 
Muskingum ;  one  on  Wills  creek,  wThere  Cambridge,  in 
Guernsey  county,  stands ;  one  near  the  source  of  the  Scioto, 


160  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

and  in  the  present  county  of  Delaware ;  one  on  the  Killbuck, 
a  tributary  of  the  Mohican  or  White  Woman,  and  apparently 
near  the  present  Millersburg,  in  Holmes  county,  besides  the 
settlement  at  the  Tuscarawas  forks  of  the  Muskingum. 

Near  the  source  of  the  Hockhocking,  "  Beaverstown "  is 
put  down  by  Hutchins,  and  in  his  narrative  he  mentions  King 
Beaver,  a  chief  of  the  Turkey  tribe  of  Delawares,  as  present 
at  the  Muskingum  council.  Our  inference  was  that  the  vil 
lage  on  the  Hockhocking,  which  is  apparently  where  Lancas 
ter  now  stands,  was  inhabited  by  Delawares,  but  George 
Sanderson,  Esq.,  in  an  address  delivered  before  the  Lancas 
ter  Institute,  in  March,  1844,  states  that  the  lands  watered 
by  the  sources  of  the  Hockhocking  river,  and  now  compre 
hended  within  the  limits  of  Fairfield  county,  when  first  dis 
covered  by  the  early  settlers  at  Marietta,  were  owned  and 
occupied  by  Wyandots.  He  identifies  the  town,  which  in 
1790,  contained  one  hundred  wigwams,  and  a  population  of 
500  souls,  with  the  present  localities  of  Lancaster,  and  gives 
its  name  Tarhe,  or  in  English,  Crane-town,  from  the  princi 
pal  chief  of  the  town.  Another  portion  of  the  tribe,  Mr. 
S.  says,  lived  at  Tobytown,  nine  miles  west  of  Tarhetown, 
(now  Royalton.)  He  adds  that  in  IT 95,  the  Wyandots 
ceded  all  their  land  on  the  Hockhocking  River  to  the  United 
States,  and  the  Crane  chief  removed  to  Upper  Sandusky. 

On  Pownall's  map,  (published  but  twelve  years  before  the 
Marietta  emigration,)  this  village  is  noted  as  "  Hockhocking 
or  French  Margarets,"  and  the  situation  is  described  as  south 
of  a  "  Big  Swamp  "  and  "  Plains  of  Wild  Rye  " — indications 
of  the  scenery  which  suggested  to  Gov.  St.  Clair  the  name 
of  Fairfield.  This  favors  Wyandot  occupation,  for  that  na 
tion  were  always  intimately  associated  with  the  French. 
There  is  also  evidence  that  Franklin  and  Hocking  counties 


ANCIENT   MAPS.  101 

were  formerly  occupied  by  Wyandots,  and  Fairfield  is  in  a 
line  drawn  from  the  Sandusky  plains  through  the  former 
counties. 

The  Shawanese,  on  both  maps,  are  clustered  along  the 
Scioto,  from  the  mouth  northward  to  the  Pickaway  plains. 
Their  villages  also  extended  northeastwardly  through  the 
present  counties  of  Clark,  Champaign  and  Logan.  Five  are 
noted  by  Pownall,  principally  on  the  Scioto. 

The  Sandusky  Bay  and  River  were  the  principal  seats  of 
the  Wyandots,  who  probably  crossed  the  Scioto  and  occupied 
the  valley  of  the  Hockhocking. 

The  west  branch  of  the  Muskingum,  known  on  our  maps 
as  the  White  woman  or  Mohican,  was  assigned  to  the  rem 
nants  of  the  old  Connecticut  tribe,  whose  name,  otherwise 
evanescent,  has  been  embalmed  by  the  genius  of  Cooper. 
As  we  have  seen  from  the  diary  of  Smith,  there  was  a 
Caughnawaga  village  (the  Mohican  was  the  origin  of  this 
tribe,  but  fused  with  Canadians  and  Iroquois,  and  lately  res 
ident  near  Montreal)  about  twenty  miles  above  the  Coshocton 
Forks,  and  still  further  north  on  the  lake  branch  of  the 
Mohican  River,  was  the  Mohican  John's  Town,  near  the  (now) 
village  of  Jeromeville,  in  Ashland  county.  Thence  these 
"  Last  of  the  Mohicans  "  were  accustomed  to  range  north 
ward  to  the  lake,  and  eastward  over  the  comparatively  vacant 
plains,  now  constituting  the  counties  of  the  Western  Reserve. 

On  the  Cuyahoga  River,  near  the  falls,  and  adjoining  the 
trail,  which  thence  led  to  the  Tuscarawas  branch  of  the 
Muskingum,  was  a  village  of"  Tawas,"  or  Ottawas,  the  only 
reference  to  this  tribe,  except  that  on  the  site  of  Plymouth, 
Richland  county,  Hutchins  notices  the  "  ruins  of  a  fort  built 
by  the  Ottawas."  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  they  roamed 
the  Sandusky  peninsula  and  islands. 


162  HISTORY    OP   OHIO. 

On  Pownall,  also,  at  the  Falls  of  the  Cuyahoga,  is  a  Mingo 
town,  mentioned  on  Hutchins  as  "  Cayahaga."  Here  was 
doubtless  a  band  of  Cayuga  Indians — the  name  of  the  New 
York  tribe  being,  as  we  suppose,  the  origin  of  our  "  Cuya 
hoga"  and  "Geauga." 

In  the  valley  of  the  Mahoning,  two  towns  are  designated, 
which  were  probably  colonies  of  the  Seneca  Indians.  Their 
location  seems  to  have  been  the  present  border  of  Mahoning 
and  Trumbull  counties. 

Huron  River  is  put  down  as  "Bald  Eagle  Creek,"  and 
Black  liiver,  which  we  have  supposed  to  be  the  Canesadoo- 
harie  of  Smith's  diary,  as  "  Gnahadahuyi." 

Besides  Fort  Sandusky,  and  perhaps  the  affix  of  "  French 
Margarets"  to  the  Hockhocking  town,  we  also  find  another 
indication  of  the  French  occupation  of  the  Ohio,  on  the  map 
of  1776.  Near  the  Ottawa  town  on  the  Cayahaga,  a  French 
trading  house  is  indicated.  It  has  also  been  suggested  (with 
little  probability,  however,)  that  the  name  of  an  Indian  town 
on  the  Scioto  near  what  is  now  Pike  County — "  Hurricane 
Tom's" — which  is  noted  by  Evans'  map  as  early  as  1755, 
was  derived  from  some  French  trader.  It  was  more  likely 
the  style  of  an  Indian  warrior. 

The  western  border  of  the  State  is  indefinitely  assigned  to 
the  "Piques,  or  Tawichwis,  or  Mineamis,  or  Myamis  "  Indi 
ans,  their  principal  town  being  near  the  present  Piqua, 
although  a  small  village  of  this  tribe  was  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Little  Miami  River. 

The  rivers  generally  bear  their  present  names.  To  the  Ohio 
is  added  "or  Palawa  Thepiki  or  Fair  River."  The  Islands 
of  Lake  Erie  are,  of  course,  imperfectly  sketched,  being  called 
"Rattlesnake  Islands."  It  is  stated  that  the  Indians  were 
accustomed  to  cross  the  lake  from  island  to  island  in  canoes. 


INDIAN    TRAILS.  163 

INDIAN  TRAILS. 

An  interesting  Appendix  to  Hutchins'  History  of  Bou 
quet's  expedition  gives  five  different  routes  from  Fort  Pitt 
through  the  Ohio  wilderness. 

THE  FIRST  ROUTE,  which  was  N.  N.  W.,  after  striking  the 
Big  Beaver,  at  a  place  called  Kuskeeskees  Town,  forty- 
seven  miles  from  Fort  Pitt,  ascended  the  east  branch  fifteen 
miles  to  Shaningo,  and  twelve  miles  to  Pematuning,  thence 
westward  thirty-two  miles  to  Mahoning  on  the  west  branch 
of  Beaver,  (probably  Youngstown ;)  thence  ten  miles  up 
said  branch  (Mahoning  River)  to  Salt  Lick  (near  the  junc 
tion  of  Meander  and  Mosquito  creeks  in  \Veathersfield  town 
ship,  Trumbull  county ;)  thence  thirty-two  miles  to  the  Cuya- 
hoga  River  (we  suppose,  just  south  of  Ravenna — the  name 
of  Portage  county  thus  derived,)  and  ten  miles  down  Cuya- 
hoga  to  Ottawatown,  (Cuyahoga  Falls.)  The  distance  from 
Fort  Pitt  by  the  above  route,  was  one  hundred  and  fifty-six 
miles. 

SECOND  ROUTE,  W.  N.  W.  was  twenty-five  miles  to  the 
mouth  of  Big  Beaver,  ninety-one  miles  to  Tuscaroras,  (the 
junction  of  Sandy  and  Tuscaroras  Creeks  at  the  south  line 
of  Stark  county ;)  fifty  to  Mohikon  John's  Town  (Mohican 
township,  near  Jeromeville  or  Mohicanville  on  the  east  line 
of  Ashland  county ;)  forty-six  to  Junandat  or  Wyandot  Town 
(Castalia  or  the  source  of  Cold  creek  in  Erie  county;)  four 
to  Fort  Sandusky  (at  mouth  of  Cold  creek,  near  Venice  on 
Sandusky  Bay  ;)  twenty-four  to  Junqueindundeh  (now  Fre 
mont,  on  Sandusky  River,  and  in  Sandusky  county.)  The 
distance  from  Fort  Pitt  to  Fort  Sandusky  was  two  hundred 
and  sixteen  miles;  to  Sandusky  River,  two  hundred  and 
forty  miles. 


164  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

THIRD  ROUTE,  W.  S.  W.,  was  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
eight  miles  to  the  Forks  of  the  Muskingum,  (at  Coshocton  ;) 
six  to  Bullet's  Town,  on  the  Muskingum,  (probably  in  Virginia 
township  ;)  ten  to  Waukatamike,  (near  Dresden,  Muskingum 
county,  we  will  suppose  ;)  twenty-seven  to  King  Beaver's 
Town,  near  the  sources  of  the  Hockhocking,  (see  above  for 
the  probabilities  whether  this  was  the  site  of  Lancaster,  Fair- 
field  county;)  forty  to  the  lower  Shawancse  town,  on  the 
river  Scioto,  (Circleville,  we  presume,  but  the  route  must 
have  been  circuitous :)  twenty  to  Salt  Lick  Town,  near  the 
sources  of  Scioto,  (this  is  difficult  to  understand,  but  on 
Hutchins'  map,  a  small  pond,  situated  the  proper  distance 
to  the  northeast,  is  written  "  Source,"  and  seems  to  be  the 
point  designated  ;)  thence  one  hundred  and  ninety  miles  north 
east  to  Fort  Miamis  (now  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana,  on  the  Mau- 
mee  River) — the  distance  from  Fort  Pitt  to  Fort  Miamis 
being  four  hundred  and  twenty-six  miles. 

FOURTH  ROUTE,  DOWN  THE  OHIO,  was  twenty-seven  miles 
to  mouth  of  Big  Beaver,  twelve  to  Little  Beaver  ;  ten  to 
Yellow  Creek ;  eighteen  to  Two  Creeks  (just  below  Wells- 
burg,  on  Virginia  side;)  six  to  Wheeling;  twelve  to  Pipe 
Hill  (near  Pipe  Creek,  quite  likely  ;)  thirty  to  Long  Reach 
(probably  opposite  the  township  of  Grandviow,  in  Washing 
ton  county,  where  the  Ohio  River  is  without  a  bend  for  a 
considerable  distance ;)  eighteen  to  foot  of  Reach  (near 
Newport ;)  thirty  to  mouth  of  Muskingum  ;  twelve  to  Little 
Kanawha  River ;  thirteen  to  mouth  of  Hockhocking  River ; 
forty  to  mouth  of  Letort's  creek  (opposite  Let-art  township, 
Meigs  county ;)  thirty-three  to  Kiskeminetas  (an  Indian  vil 
lage,  otherwise  called  "  Old  Town,"  on  the  Ohio  bank,  perhaps 
in  Cheshire  township,  Gallia  county ;)  eight  to  mouth  of  Big 
Kenawha  or  New  River  ;  forty  to  mouth  of  Big  Sandy ;  forty 


INDIAN    TRAILS.  165 

to  Scioto  River  ;  thirty  to  Big  Salt  Lick  River  (Brush  creek, 
in  Adams  county  ?)  twenty  to  an  island  (opposite  Manchester, 
in  Adams  county ;)  fifty-five  to  mouth  of  Little  Miami ; 
thirty  to  Big  Miami  or  Rocky  River,  (no  stoppage  at  Cincin 
nati,  as  now;)  twenty  to  Big  Bones,  ("so  called  from  the 
bones  of  an  elephant  found  there  ;")  fifty-five  to  Kentucky 
River  ;  fifty  to  Falls  of  Ohio ;  one  hundred  and  thirty-one  to 
Wabash  River ;  sixty  to  Cherokee  (Tennessee)  River,  and 
forty  to  Mississippi.  Total,  from  Fort  Pitt,  eight  hundred 
and  forty. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

SUBMISSION  AND  FATE  OF  PONTIAC. 

IN  the  spring  of  1765,  late  in  April,  Sir  William  Johnson 
was  seated  in  council  at  German  Flats,  far  in  the  interior  of 
New  York,  and  around  him  gathered  the  representatives  of 
all  the  Western  tribes.  What  the  armies  of  1764  had 
accomplished  on  the  waters  of  Muskingum  and  Sandusky, 
was  then  consummated  by  the  negotiations  of  the  sagacious 
superintendent.  At  this  meeting,  two  propositions  were 
made ;  one  to  fix  some  boundary  line,  west  of  which  the  Euro 
peans  should  not  go;  and  the  savages  named  as  this  line,  the 
Ohio  or  Alleghany  and  Susquehannah ;  but  no  definite  agree 
ment  was  made,  Johnson  not  being  empowered  to  act.  The 
other  proposal  was,  that  the  Indians  should  grant  to  the  tra 
ders  who  had  suifered  in  1763,  a  tract  of  land  in  compensa 
tion  for  the  injuries  then  done  them,  and  this  the  Indians 
agreed  to  do. 

With  the  returning  deputies  of  Senecas,  Shawanese  and 
Delawares,  George  Croghan,  Sir  William  Johnson's  sub- 
commissioner,  embarked  at  Pittsburgh  on  the  15th  of  May, 
1765,  intending  to  visit  the  Wabash  and  Illinois,  secure  the 
allegiance  of  the  French  who  inhabited  their  valleys,  and 
conclude  a  treaty  with  Pontiac  and  his  Ottawa  and  Miami 
adherents,  whose  submission  was  yet  withheld.1  His  voy 
age  down  the  Ohio  in  two  batteaux  was  not  eventful — the 
Journal  affording  a  panorama  of  "rich  and  fertile  bottoms;" 

1)  Sec  Croghan's  Journal  in  Craig's  Olden  Time,  vol.  i.,  p.  403. 
(166) 


CROGHAN   DESCENDS   THE    OHIO.  167 

hills  now  withdrawn  beyond  these  bottoms,  and  anon  "pinch 
ing  close  on  the  river,"  and  "islands  mostly  lying  high  out 
of  the  water."  About  a  mile  below  Big  Beaver  creek,  a 
deserted  Delaware  town,  "  built  for  that  nation  by  the 
French  in  1756,"  was  noticed — some  of  the  stone  chimneys 
yet  remaining  on  the  north  side  of  the  river.  About  two 
miles  below  where  Steubenville  stands,  still  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Ohio,  and  near  the  mouth  of  Indian  Cross  creek, 
they  passed  a  Seneca  village,  the  chief  of  which  joined  the 
party.  This  place  is  usually  designated  Mingo  Town,  and 
although  most  of  the  Indians  might  have  been  Senecas,  yet 
doubtless  many  from  the  other  New  York  tribes  were  among 
its  inhabitants.  Here  was  afterwards  the  residence  of  Logan. 

Croghan,  on  the  19th  of  May,  encamped  at  the  mouth  of 
Little  Conhowa  River,  and  "here"  he  says  "buffaloes, 
bears,  turkeys,  with  all  other  kind  of  wild  game,  are 
extremely  plenty."  Five  days  from  Pittsburgh,  he  came  to 
the  "mouth  of  Hochocen  or  Bottle  River,"  passing  within 
twenty  miles  above  "  five  very  fine  islands ;  the  country 
being  rich  and  level,  with  high  steep  banks  to  the  rivers." 
From  this  place,  an  Indian  runner  was  despatched  to  the 
Plains  of  Scioto,  with  a  letter  to  the  French  traders  from  the 
Illinois  residing  there  with  the  Shawanese,  requiring  them 
to  join  him  at  the  mouth  of  Scioto,  that  they  might  take  the 
oath  of  allegiance  to  the  British  crown,  be  properly  licensed 
to  trade,  and  also  accompany  Croghan  to  the  French  settle 
ments  on  the  Wabash  and  Illinois. 

Thirty  miles  below  Hockhocking,  an  encampment  was 
made  at  Big  Bend,  now  within  Meigs  county.  Here  was 
such  abundance  of  buffalo,  bears,  deer,  and  all  sorts  of  game, 
that  the  party  killed  whatever  was  needed  "  out  of  the  boats ; " 
and  still  a  country  fine  and  level,  with  high  banks,  and  an 


168  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

abundance  of  creeks  falling  into  the  Ohio.  They  passed  "a 
place  called  Alum  Hill,  from  the  great  quantity  of  that 
mineral  found  there  by  the  Indians."  Discovering  some 
Cherokees  near  their  encampment  on  the  evening  of  the  22d, 
a  good  guard  was  kept  the  first  part  of  the  night,  but  noth 
ing  more  was  seen  of  them. 

At  the  mouth  of  Scioto  the  journalist  was  enraptured. 
"  The  soil  on  the  banks  of  the  Scioto,"  he  writes,  "  for  a  vast 
distance  up  the  country,  is  prodigious  rich,  the  bottoms  very 
wide,  and  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  many  of  them  are  flooded, 
so  that  the  river  appears  to  be  two  or  three  miles  wide. 
Bears,  deer,  turkeys,  and  most  sorts  of  wild  game,  are  very 
plenty  on  the  banks  of  the  river.  On  the  Ohio,  just  below 
the  mouth  of  Scioto,  on  a  high  bank,  near  forty  feet,  formerly 
stood  the  Shawanese  town,  called  the  Lower  Town,  which 
was  all  carried  away,  except  three  or  four  houses,  by  a  great 
flood  in  the  Scioto.  I  was  in  the  town  at  the  time  ;  though 
the  banks  of  the  Ohio  were  so  high,  the  water  was  nine  feet 
on  the  top,  which  obliged  the  whole  town  to  take  to  their 
canoes  and  move  with  their  effects  to  the  hills.  The  Shaw 
anese  afterwards  built  their  town  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river,  which,  during  the  French  wrar  they  abandoned  for  fear 
of  the  Virginians,  and  removed  to  the  plains  on  Scioto. 
In  general,  all  the  lands  on  the  Scioto  River,  as  well  as  the 
bottoms  on  Ohio,  are  too  rich  for  anything  but  hemp,  flax, 
or  Indian  corn." 

During  the  next  three  days,  which  were  passed  in  camp 
at  Scioto,  the  French  traders  arrived  from  the  Shawanese 
towns,  and  on  the  28th  the  party  proceeded.  The  river 
being  wider  and  deeper,  with  no  islands,  they  "  drove  all 
night."  On  the  30th,  the  Great  Miami  was  passed,  and 
about  forty  miles  below,  they  "  arrived  at  the  place  where 


CROGIIAN'S  JOURNAL.  169 

the  elephant's  bones  are  found."  Under  date  of  May  31, 
Croghan  writes :  "  Early  in  the  morning  we  went  to  the 
great  Lick,  where  these  bones  are  only  found,  about  four 
miles  from  the  river,  on  the  south-east  side.  In  our  way  we 
passed  through  a  fine  timbered  clear  wood ;  we  came  into  a 
large  road  which  the  buffalos  have  beaten,  spacious  enough 
for  two  wagons  to  go  abreast,  and  leading  straight  into  the 
Lick.  It  appears  that  there  are  vast  quantities  of  these 
bones  lying  five  or  six  feet  under  ground,  which  we  discovered 
in  the  bank  at  the  edge  of  the  Lick.  We  found  here  two 
tusks  above  six  feet  long ;  we  carried  one,  with  some  other 
bones,  to  our  boats,  and  set  off.  This  day  we  proceeded 
down  the  river  about  eighty  miles,  through  a  country  much 
the  same  as  already  described,  since  we  passed  the  Scioto." 
Passing  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio  and  the  Five  Islands,  the 
mouth  of  the  Wabash  was  reached  on  the  6th  of  June,  and  is 
thus  described  :  "  At  the  mouth  of  the  Ouabache  we  found  a 
breast-work  erected,  supposed  to  have  been  done  by  the  In 
dians.  The  mouth  of  this  river  is  about  two  hundred  yards 
wide,  and  in  its  course  runs  through  one  of  the  finest  countries 
in  the  world,  the  lands  being  exceedingly  rich  and  well- 
watered  ;  here  hemp  might  be  raised  in  immense  quantities. 
All  the  bottoms,  and  almost  the  whole  country  abounds  with 
great  plenty  of  the  white  and  red  mulberry  tree.  These  trees 
are  to  be  found  in  great  plenty  in  all  places  between  the 
mouth  of  the  Scioto  and  the  Ouabache  ;  the  soil  of  the  latter 
affords  this  tree  in  plenty  as  far  as  Ouicatarion,  and  some 
few  on  the  Miami  River.  Several  large  fine  islands  lie  in  the 
Ohio,  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Ouabache,  the  banks  of  which 
are  high,  and  consequently  free  from  inundations  ;  hence  we 
proceeded  clown  the  river  about  six  miles  to  encamp,  as  I 
judged  some  Indians  were  sent  to  waylay  us,  and  came  to  a 


170  HISTUilY    OF    OJ110. 

place  called  the  Old  Shawnese  Village,  some  of  that  nation 
having  formerly  lived  there." 

Letters  were  sent  on  the  following  day  to  Lord  Frazer,  an 
English  officer  on  the  Illinois,  and  to  Monsieur  St.  Ange,  the 
French  commandant  at  Fort  Chartres,  and  some  speeches  to 
the  Indians  there,  informing  them  of  the  late  peace,  and  that 
Croghan  was  coming  to  conclude  matters  with  them.  All 
these  plans  were  interrupted,  however,  on  the  8th  of  June. 
At  day  break,  the  English  and  their  allies  were  attacked  by 
a  party  of  Indians,  consisting  of  eighty  warriors  of  the  Kicka- 
poos  and  Musquattimes,  who  killed  two  of  the  whites  and 
three  Indians,  wounding  Croghan  and  all  the  rest  of  the 
party,  except  two  whites  and  one  Indian.  The  survivors 
were  made  prisoners  and  plundered.  In  answer  to  the 
remonstrance  of  a  Shawancse  deputy,  who  wras  shot  through 
the  thigh,  the  marauders  confessed  that  their  "  fathers,  the 
French,  had  spirited  them  up,  telling  them  that  the  Indians 
were  coming  with  a  body  of  southern  Indians  to  take  their 
country  from  them  and  enslave  them ;  that  it  wras  this  that 
induced  them  to  commit  the  outrage." 

Seven  days'  travel,  at  first  through  heavy  woods,  but  prin 
cipally  "  prodigious  rich  bottoms,"  clear  woods  and  "  sonic 
large  meadows,  where  no  trees  for  several  miles  together  are 
to  be  seen,  but  with  buffalos,  deer  and  bears  in  plenty," 
brought  captives  and  captors  to  Port  Vincent,  (now  Vincen- 
nes,)  which  is  described  as  a  village  of  eighty  or  ninety 
French  families,  settled  on  the  east  side  of  the  Wabash,  arid 
the  inhabitants,  as  u  an  idle,  lazy  people,  or  parcel  of  rene 
gades  from  Canada,"  who  secretly  exulted  at  the  misfortunes 
of  the  English,  and  fell  to  bartering  trifles  for  the  valuables 
of  which  the  prisoners  had  been  plundered — ten  of  Croghari's 
half  Johannes,  which  a  savage  had  appropriated,  being  extorted 


SUBMISSION    OF   PONTIAC.  171 

for  a  pound  of  vermillion.  Two  hundred  and  ten  miles  from 
Port  Vincent,  they  came  to  Ouicatanon,  (now  Lafayette,) 
where  fourteen  French  families  lived  in  the  fort,  which  stood 
north  of  the  river.  A  glowing  description  is  given  of  the 
"  spacious  and  beautiful  meadows,"  with  their  growth  of  "  fine 
wild  grass,  and  wild  hemp  ten  or  twelve  feet  high." 

On  the  25th  of  July,  "  after  settling  all  matters  happily 
with  the  natives,"  as  Croghan  indefinitely  says,  he  started 
for  the  Miamis,  and  on  the  first  of  August  was  received  with 
distinction  at  a  Twightwee  or  Miami  village,  situated  on  both 
sides  of  the  St.  Josephs  River,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  its 
junction  with  the  Miami,  now  Maumee.  At  this  village, 
consisting  of  forty  or  fifty  Indian  cabins  and  nine  or  ten 
French  Houses,  the  English  flag  was  hoisted  by  the  savages, 
some  English  prisoners  surrendered,  and  peace  established. 
Among  these  Indians  Pontiac  had  taken  refuge,  but  his  mood 
was  now  submissive.  The  Indian  chief  and  the  English  com 
missioner  smoked  the  calumet  together  and  interchanged  belts 
of  peace.  "He  would  no  longer,"  Pontiac  said,  "stand  in 
the  path  of  the  English.  Yet  they  must  not  imagine  that  in 
taking  possession  of  the  French  forts  they  gained  any  right 
to  the  country ;  for  the  French  had  never  bought  the  land, 
and  lived  upon  it  by  sufferance  only."  The  impression  upon 
Croghan  by  this  interview  with  the  Ottawa  chief  is  thus  stated 
in  a  letter  to  Sir  Wm.  Johnson :  4i  Pontiac  is  a  shrewd,  sen 
sible  Indian,  of  few  words,  and  commands  more  respect 
among  his  own  nation  than  any  Indian  I  ever  saw." 

The  scene  of  this  interview  was  not  far  from  Fort  Miamis, 
which  stood  on  the  east  side  of  the  junction  of  the  St.  Josephs 
and  the  Maumee,  and  was  then  "somewhat  ruinous,"  and  we 
presume  was  without  a  garrison. 

Followed  by  Pontiac  and  other  chiefs,  Croghan  descended 


172  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

the  Miami  River  in  a  canoe.  The  banks  were  high  and  the 
country  overgrown  "with  lofty  timber  of  various  kinds — the 
land  level  and  the  woods  clear.  "  About  ninety  miles  from 
the  Miamis  or  Twightwee,"  quoting  again  from  the  Journal, 
"  we  came  to  where  a  large  river  that  heads  in  a  large  lick, 
falls  into  the  Miami  River  ;  this  they  call  the  Forks  (Auglaise 
at  Defiance.)  The  Ottawas  claim  this  country,  and  hunt 
here,  where  game  is  very  plenty.  From  hence  we  proceeded 
to  the  Ottawa  village.  This  nation  formerly  lived  at  Detroit, 
but  is  now  settled  here  on  account  of  the  richness  of  the 
country,  where  game  is  always  to  be  found  in  plenty.  Here 
we  were  obliged  to  get  out  of  our  canoes  and  drag  them 
eighteen  miles,  on  account  of  the  rifts  which  interrupt  the 
navigation,  (the  rapids  at  Providence,  between  Lucas  and 
Henry  counties,  undoubtedly.)  At  the  end  of  these  rifts 
we  came  to  a  village  of  Wyandots,  who  received  us  very 
kindly,  and  from  thence  we  proceeded  to  the  mouth  of  this 
river,  where  it  falls  into  Lake  Erie." 

On  the  17th  of  August,  Croghan  arrived  at  Detroit.  We 
shall  further  digress  by  repeating  his  account  of  that  position : 
"Fort  Detroit  is  a  large  stockade,  inclosing  about  80  houses, 
and  stands  close  on  the  north  side  of  the  river  on  a  high  bank  ; 
commands  a  very  pleasant  prospect  for  nine  miles  above  and 
nine  miles  below  the  fort ;  the  country  is  thickly  settled  with 
the  French,  their  plantations  are  generally  laid  out  about  three 
or  four  acres  in  breadth  on  the  river,  and  about  eighty  in 
depth  ;  the  soil  good,  producing  plenty  of  grain.  All  the 
people  here  are  generally  poor  wretches,  and  consist  of 
three  or  four  hundred  French  families,  a  lazy,  idle  people, 
depending  chiefly  on  the  savages  for  subsistence ;  though 
the  land,  with  little  labor,  produces  plenty  of  grain,  they 
scarcely  raise  as  much  as  will  supply  their  wants,  in  imita- 


INDIAN  CONFERENCE  AT  DETROIT.         173 

tion  of  the  Indians,  whoso  manners  and  customs  they  have 
entirely  adopted  and  cannot  subsist  without  them.  The 
men,  women  and  children  speak  the  Indian  tongue  perfectly 
well.  In  the  last  Indian  war,  the  most  part  of  the  French 
were  concerned  in  it,  (although  the  whole  settlement  had 
taken  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  his  Britannic  Majesty ;)  they 
have,  therefore,  great  reason  to  be  thankful  to  the  English 
clemency  in  not  bringing  them  to  deserved  punishment. 
Before  the  Indian  war,  there  resided  three  nations  of  Indians 
at  this  place  ;  the  Putawatimes,  whose  village  was  on  the 
west  side  of  the  river,  about  one  mile  below  the  fort ;  the 
Ottawas,  on  the  east  side,  about  three  miles  above  the  fort, 
and  the  Wyandots,  whose  village  lays  on  the  east  side,  about 
two  miles  below  the  fort.  The  former  two  nations  have 
removed  to  a  considerable  distance,  and  the  latter  still 
remain  wThere  they  were,  and  arc  remarkable  for  their  good 
sense  and  hospitality.  They  have  a  particular  attachment 
to  the  Roman  Catholic  religion,  the  French,  by  their  priests, 
having  taken  uncommon  pains  to  instruct  them." 

On  the  27th,  a  meeting  was  held  with  the  Ottawas  and 
the  other  tribes  of  Detroit  and  Sandusky,  when  Croghan, 
with  much  flourish  of  Indian  rhetoric,  addressed  them  as 
follows  : 

"  Children,  we  are  glad  to  see  so  many  of  you  here  pres 
ent  at  your  ancient  council-fire,  which  has  been  neglected 
for  some  time  past ;  since  the  high  winds  have  blown  and 
raised  heavy  clouds  over  your  country.  I  now,  by  this  belt, 
rekindle  your  ancient  fire  and  throw  dry  wood  upon  it,  that 
the  blaze  may  ascend  to  heaven,  so  that  all  nations  may  see 
it,  and  know  that  you  live  in  peace  and  tranquillity  with  your 
fathers,  the  English. 

"By  this  belt  I  disperse  all  the  black  clouds  from  over 


174  HISTORY  OF  onio. 

your  heads,  that  the  sun  may  shine  clear  on  your  women  and 
children,  that  those  unborn  may  enjoy  the  blessings  of  the 
general  peace,  now  so  happily  settled  between  your  fathers, 
the  English,  and  you,  and  all  your  younger  brethren  to  the 
sun-setting. 

"  Children,  by  this  belt  I  gather  up  all  the  bones  of  your 
deceased  friends,  and  bury  them  deep  in  the  ground,  that 
the  buds  and  sweet  flowers  of  the  earth  may  grow  over  them, 
that  we  may  not  see  them  any  more. 

"  Children,  with  this  belt  I  take  the  hatchet  out  of  your 
hands,  and  pluck  up  a  large  tree,  arid  bury  it  deep,  so  that 
it  may  never  be  found  any  more  ;  and  I  plant  the  tree  of 
peace,  which  all  our  children  may  sit  under  and  smoke  in 
peace  with  their  fathers. 

"  Children,  we  have  made  a  road  from  the  sunrising  to  the 
sunsetting.  I  desire  that  you  will  preserve  that  road  good 
and  pleasant  to  travel  upon,  that  we  may  all  share  the 
blessings  of  this  happy  union." 

On  the  following  day  Pontiac  spoke  in  behalf  of  the  several 
nations  assembled  at  the  council  : 

"  Father,  we  have  all  smoked  out  of  this  pipe  of  peace. 
It  is  your  children's  pipe,  and  as  the  war  is  all  over,  and  the 
Great  Spirit  and  Giver  of  Light,  who  has  made  the  earth 
and  everything  therein,  has  brought  us  all  together  this  day 
for  our  mutual  good,  to  promote  the  good  works  of  peace,  I 
declare  to  all  nations,  that  I  have  settled  my  peace  with  you 
before  I  came  here,  and  now  deliver  my  pipe  to  be  sent  to 
Sir  "VVm.  Johnson,  that  he  may  know  I  have  made  peace, 
and  taken  the  king  of  England  for  my  father  in  the  presence 
of  all  the  nations  now  assembled,  and  whenever  any  of  those 
nations  go  to  visit  him,  they  may  smoke  out  of  it  with  him 
in  peace.  Fathers,  we  are  obliged  to  you  for  lighting  up 


•SUBMISSION    OF   PONTIAO.  175 

our  old  council  fire  for  us,  and  desiring  us  to  return  to  it ; 
but  we  are  now  settled  on  the  Miami  River,  [Miami  of  the 
lakes  or  Maumee]  not  far  from  hence  ;  whenever  you  want 
us  you  will  find  us  there  ready  to  wait  on  you.  The  reason 
why  I  choose  to  stay  where  we  are  now  settled,  is,  that  we 
love  liquor,  and  to  be  so  near  this  as  we  formerly  lived,  our 
people  would  be  always  drunk,  which  might  occasion  some 
quarrels  between  the  soldiers  and  our  people.  This,  father, 
is  all  the  reason  I  have  for  not  returning  to  our  old  settle 
ments  ;  and  where  we  live  is  so  nigh  this  place,  that  when 
we  want  to  drink  we  can  easily  come  for  it.  [Gave  a  large 
belt  with  wampum  tied  to  it.] 

"Father,  be  strong  and  take  pity  on  us,  your  children,  as 
our  former  father  did.  It  is  just  the  hunting  season  of  your 
children.  Our  fathers,  the  French,  formerly  used  to  credit 
his  children  for  powder  and  lead  to  hunt  with.  I  request, 
in  behalf  of  all  the  nations  present,  that  you  will  speak  to 
the  traders  now  here  to  do  the  same.  My  father,  once  more 
I  request  that  you  tell  your  traders  to  give  your  children 
credit  for  a  little  powder  and  lead,  as  the  support  of  our 
families  depends  upon  it.  We  have  told  you  where  we  live, 
not  far  from  here,  that  whenever  you  want  us,  and  let  us 
know,  we  will  come  directly  to  you.  [A  belt.] 

"  Father,  you  have  stopped  up  the  rum  barrel,  when  we 
came  here,  until  the  business  of  this  meeting  was  over.  As 
it  is  now  finished,  we  request  you  may  open  the  barrel,  that 
your  children  may  drink  and  be  merry." 

A  year  afterwards,  Pontiac  visited  Sir  William  Johnson 
at  Oswcgo,  where  was  held,  on  the  23d  of  July,  another 
Congress  of  Ottawas,  Pottawattamics,  Hurons  and  Chippe- 
was,  with  ceremonials  and  results  similar  to  those  of  the 
council  at  Detroit. 


176  IIISTOllY    OF   OHIO. 

Thenceforth  we  have  only  vague  memorials  of  Pontiac. 
About  the  year  1769,  when  more  than  usual  distrust  pre 
vailed  among  the  savages,  the  English  traders  on  the  Illinois 
were  disturbed  by  the  appearance  of  Pontiac  on  a  visit  to 
the  French  garrison  and  village  on  the  present  site  of  St. 
Louis.  St.  Ange,  then  in  command  of  that  post,  was  highly 
esteemed  by  Pontiac,  and  a  citizen  of  St.  Louis,  Pierre 
Chouteau,  who  lived  to  a  great  age,  was  accustomed  to 
describe  the  appearance  of  the  distinguished  chief  on  that 
occasion.  He  wore  the  full  uniform  of  a  French  officer,  the 
gift  of  Marquis  of  Montcalm  toward  the  close  of  the  French 
war.  He  remained  at  St.  Louis  for  two  or  three  days, 
when,  hearing  that  a  large  number  of  Indians  were  assem 
bled  at  Cahokia,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  that 
some  drinking  bout  or  other  social  gathering  wras  in  progress, 
he  told  St.  Ange  that  he  would  cross  over  to  see  what  was 
going  forward.  St.  Ange  endeavored  to  dissuade  him, 
reminding  him  of  the  little  friendship  that  existed  between 
him  and  the  British.  Pontiac's  answer  was,  "  Captain,  I  am 
a  man !  I  know  how  to  fight.  I  have  always  fought  openly. 
They  will  not  murder  me ;  and  if  any  one  attacks  me  as  a 
brave  man,  I  am  his  match."  He  went  off,  wras  feasted, 
drank  deeply,  and,  when  the  carousal  was  over,  strode  down 
the  village  to  the  adjacent  woods,  where  he  was  heard  to 
sing  the  medicine  songs,  in  whose  magic  power  he  trusted  as 
the  warrant  of  success  in  all  his  undertakings.  In  the  mean 
while,  an  English  trader,  named  Williamson,  bribed  a  Kas- 
kaskia  Indian  with  a  barrel  of  rum,  and  the  promise  of  a 
greater  reward,  if  he  would  succeed  in  killing  Pontiac.  The 
assassin  stole  near  Pontiac,  in  the  forest,  and  watching  his 
moment"  glided  behind  him,  and  buried  a  tomahawk  in  his 
brain. 


FATE    OF   PONTIAC.  177 

This  murder  roused  the  vengeance  of  all  the  tribes  friendly 
to  Pontiac,  and  the  Illinois  were  nearly  exterminated  in  the 
retributive  war  which  was  waged  against  them. 

Pontiac  was  buried  by  his  friends,  the  French  officers  and 
residents,  with  warlike  honors,  near  the  fort  at  St.  Louis. 
"For  a  mausoleum,"  says  his  accomplished  biographer,  ua 
city  has  risen  above  the  forest  hero  ;  and  the  race  whom  he 
hated  with  such  burning  rancor,  trample  with  unceasing  foot 
steps  over  his  forgotten  grave." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

ENGLISH  NEGOTIATIONS  WITH  THE  WESTERN  TRIBES— THE 
CLAIM  TO  KENTUCKY. 

THE  English  government,  as  we  have  seen,  never  failed  to 
assert  the  right  of  the  New  York  tribes  to  treat  the  Ohio  valley 
as  their  conquest,  and  before  the  cession  by  France  in  1763, 
the  English  claim  of  sovereignty  rested  chiefly  upon  a  series 
of  treaties  with  the  chiefs  of  the  Six  Nations  in  1684,  in 
1701,  and  especially  on  the  14th  of  September,  1726,  by 
which  their  lands  were  conveyed  to  England,  in  trust,  "  to  be 
protected  and  defended  by  his  majesty,  to  and  for  the  use  of 
the  grantors  and  their  heirs." 

At  Lancaster,  in  1744,  however,  it  was  sought  to  obtain  a 
different  and  far  more  important  concession  from  these  Indians. 
Deputies  from  Pennsylvania,  Virginia  and  Maryland  met  the 
chiefs  of  the  Six  Nations,  and  after  a  scene  of  debauchery  in 
the  highest  degree  disgraceful  to  its  English  instigators,  the 
Indians  were  persuaded  to  give  a  deed  "  recognizing  the 
King's  right  to  all  lands  that  are,  or  by  his  Majesty1  s  appoint 
ment  shall  be,  within  the  colony  of  Virginia." 

Here  was  a  claim  to  an  indefinite  extent  of  the  Ohio 
valley  by  purchase,  but  it  was  very  justly  obnoxious  to  the 
Ohio  Indians — to  the  Delawares  and  Shawanese  especially, 
whose  villages  were  within  the  nominal  limits  of  the  colony  of 
Virginia,  and  who  indignantly  denied  any  proprietary  right 
in  the  Indians  of  New  York. 

Nevertheless,  on  this  unsubstantial  basis  rested  the  grant 

(178) 


I  HE    LO<JriTOWN    TREATY.  179 

of  1748  to  the  Ohio  Company  of  five  hundred  thousand  acres, 
to  be  principally  located  on  the  south  side  of  the  Ohio  River, 
between  the  Monongahela  and  Kenhawa  Rivers.  The  ex 
ploration  of  Gist,  in  1750-1,  and  the  mere  designation  of  a 
road  to  the  Monongahela  seem  to  have  been  the  only  effective 
steps  towards  a  realization  of  this  design. 

The  Virginians  were  very  sensible  that  some  form  of  assent 
by  the  Ohio  Indians  was  indispensable.  Great  efforts  were 
therefore  made  to  procure  it,  and  at  length  representatives 
of  the  western  tribes  were  assembled  at  Logstown,  seventeen 
miles  below  Pittsburgh,  on  the  9th  of  June,  1752. 

This  was  a  favorable  moment  for  the  designs  of  the  English 
colonists,  since  the  savages,  even  to  the  remote  Twightwees, 
were  then  inimical  to  the  French  and  favorably  disposed 
towards  the  English,  but  the  Virginia  commissioners,  Messrs. 
Fry,  Lomax  and  Patton,  had  no  easy  task.  They  produced 
the  Lancaster  Treaty,  and  insisted  upon  the  right  of  the 
crown,  under  its  grant,  to  sell  the  western  lands  ;  but  "  No," 
the  chiefs  said,  "  they  had  not  heard  of  any  sale  west  of  the 
warriors'  road,  which  ran  at  the  foot  of  the  Alleghany  ridge." 
The  commissioners  then  offered  goods  for  a  ratification  of  the 
Lancaster  treaty ;  spoke  of  the  proposed  settlement  by  the 
Ohio  Company ;  and  used  all  their  persuasions  to  secure  the 
land  wanted.  Upon  the  llth  of  June,  the  Indians  replied. 
They  recognized  the  treaty  of  Lancaster,  and  the  authority 
of  the  Six  Nations  to  make  it,  but  denied  that  they  had  any 
knowledge  of  the  western  lands  being  conveyed  to  the  Eng 
lish  by  said  deed ;  and  declined,  upon  the  whole,  having  any 
thing  to  do  with  the  treaty  of  1744.  They  were  willing  to 
give  special  permission  to  erect  a  fort  at  the  fork  of  the  Ohio, 
"  as  the  French  have  already  struck  the  Twigtwees,"  but  the 
Virginians  wanted  much  more,  and  finally,  by  the  influence 


180  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

of  Montour,  the  interpreter,  who  was  probably  bribed,  the 
Indians  united,  on  the  13th  of  June,  in  signing  a  deed  con 
firming  the  Lancaster  treaty  in  its  full  extent,  and  consenting 
to  a  settlement  southeast  of  the  Ohio. 

The  dissatisfaction  of  the  Ohio  savages  with  the  proceed 
ings  at  LogstoAvn,  is  very  apparent  from  the  fact  that  in 
September,  1758,  William  Fairfax  met  their  deputies  at 
Winchester,  Virginia,  where  he  concluded  a  treaty,  with  the 
particulars  of  which  we  are  unacquainted,  but  on  which,  it  is 
stated,  was  an  endorsement  that  lie  had  not  dared  to  mention 
to  them  either  the  Lancaster  or  Loystoiun  treaty ;  a  sad  com 
mentary  upon  the  modes  taken  to  obtain  those  grants. 

All  attempts  to  secure  any  practical  results  from  those 
treaties  were  postponed  by  the  outbreak  and  continuance  of 
hostilities,  and  it  was  not  until  after  the  pacification  of  1765, 
that  the  occupation  of  the  lands  wrest  of  the  Alleghanies, 
otherwise  than  by  the  Indians,  was  agitated  in  any  consider 
able  degree. 

The  royal  proclamation  of  October  7,  1768,  our  readers 
have  not  forgotten,  forbade  all  private  settlement  or  purchase 
of  lands  west  of  the  Alleghanies,  but  as  soon  as  peace  was 
restored  by  the  treaty  of  German  Flats,  settlers  crossed  the 
mountains  and  took  possession  of  lands  in  Western  Virginia 
and  along  the  Monongahela.  The  Indians  remonstrated — 
the  authorities  issued  proclamations  warning  off  intruders — 
orders  were  forwarded  by  Gen.  Gage  to  the  garrison  of  Fort 
Pitt  to  dislodge  the  settlers  at  Redstone,  but  all  was  ineffec 
tual.  The  adventurous  spirits  of  the  frontier  were  not  alone 
in  their  designs  upon  the  wilderness.  The  old  Ohio  Com 
pany  sought  a  perfection  of  their  grant — the  Virginia  volun 
teers  of  1754,  who  had  enlisted  under  a  proclamation  offering 
liberal  bounties  of  lands,  were  also  clamorous — individual 


TREATY  OF  FORT  BTANWIX.  181 

grants  were  urged — Sir  William  Johnson  was  ambitious  of 
being  the  governor  of  an  armed  colony  south  of  the  Ohio, 
upon  the  model  proposed  by  Franklin  in  1754,  and  the  plan 
of  another  company,  led  by  Thomas  Walpolc,  a  London 
banker  of  eminence,  was  submitted  to  the  English  ministry. 
Notwithstanding  such  a  fever  of  land  speculation,  it  was 
still  felt,  that  a  better  muniment  of  title  was  requisite,  than 
the  obsolete  pretensions  of  Lancaster  and  Logstown,  and 
Gen.  Gage  having  represented  very  emphatically  the  grow 
ing  irritation  of  the  Indians,  Sir  William  Johnson  was 
instructed  to  negotiate  another  treaty.  Notice  was  given  to 
the  various  colonial  governments,  to  the  Six  Nations,  the 
Delawares,  and  the  Shawanese,  and  a  Congress  was  ap 
pointed  to  meet  at  Fort  Stanwix,  now  Rome,  New  York. 
It  assembled  on  the  24th  of  October,  1768,  and  was  atten 
ded  by  representatives  from  New  Jersey,  Virginia,  and 
Pennsylvania ;  by  Sir  William  and  his  deputies ;  by  the 
agents  of  those  traders  who  had  suffered  in  the  war  of  1763 ; 
and  by  deputies  from  all  of  the  Six  Nations,  the  Delawares, 
and  the  Shawanese.  The  first  point  to  be  settled,  was  the 
boundary  line,  which  was  to  determine  the  Indian  lands  of 
the  west  from  that  time  forward ;  and  this  line  the  Indians, 
upon  the  1st  of  November,  stated  should  begin  on  the  Ohio, 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Cherokee  (or  Tennessee)  River ;  thence 
go  up  the  Ohio  and  Alleghany  to  Kittaning :  thence  across 
to  the  Susquehannah,  &c.;  whereby  the  whole  country  south 
of  the  Ohio  and  Alleghany,  to  which  the  Six  Nations  had 
any  claim,  was  transferred  to  the  British.  One  deed,  for  a 
part  of  this  land,  was  made  on  the  3d  of  November,  to  Will 
iam  Trent,  attorney  for  twenty-two  traders,  whose  goods 
had  been  destroyed  by  the  Indians  in  1763.  The  tract  con 
veyed  by  this,  was  between  the  Kenhawa  and  Monongahela, 


182  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

and  was  by  the  traders  named  Indiana.  Two  days  after 
wards,  a  deed  for  the  remaining  western  lands  was  made  to 
the  King,  and  the  price  agreed  on,  paid  down.  There  were 
also  given  two  deeds  of  lands  in  Pennsylvania,  one  to  Cro- 
ghan,  and  the  other  to  the  proprietaries  of  that  colony. 
These  deeds  were  made  upon  the  express  agreement,  that  no 
claim  should  ever  be  based  upon  previous  treaties,  those  of 
Lancaster,  Logstown,  &c.;  and  they  were  signed  by  the 
chiefs  of  the  Six  Nations,  for  themselves,  their  allies  and 
dependents,  the  Shawanese,  Delawares,  Mingoes  of  Ohio, 
and  others ;  but  the  Shawanese  and  Delaware  deputies  pres 
ent,  did  not  sign  them.1 

"Such,"  adds  Perkins,  "was  the  treaty  of  Stanwix, 
whereon  rests  the  title  by  purchase  to  Kentucky,  Western 
Virginia,  and  Pennsylvania.  It  was  a  better  foundation, 
perhaps,  than  that  given  by  previous  treaties,  but  was  essen 
tially  worthless ;  for  the  lands  conveyed,  were  not  occupied 
or  hunted  on  by  those  conveying  them.  In  truth,  we  can 
not  doubt  that  this  immense  grant  was  obtained  by  the  influ 
ence  of  Sir  William  Johnson,  in  order  that  the  new  colony, 
of  which  he  was  to  be  governor,  might  be  founded  there. 
The  fact  that  such  an  extent  of  country  was  ceded  volunta 
rily — not  after  a  war,  not  by  hard  persuasion,  but  at  once, 
and  willingly, — satisfies  us  that  the  whole  affair  had  been 
previously  settled  with  the  New  York  savages,  and  that  the 
Ohio  Indians  had  no  voice  in  the  matter." 

The  efforts  to  organize  an  immense  land  company,  which 
should  include  the  old  Ohio  Company,  and  the  more  recent 
Walpole  scheme,  besides  recognizing  the  bounties  of  the  Vir 
ginia  volunteers,  were  apparently  successful  by  the  royal 
sanction  of  August  14,  17T4,  but  previously  there  were 

1)  Perkins'  Writings,  vol.  ii.,  p.  232. 


183 

immense  private  appropriations  of  the  region  south  of  the 
Ohio.  Prominent  among  those  interested  in  such  specula 
tions,  was  George  Washington.2  His  impression  in  favor  of 
the  country  had  been  fully  confirmed  by  a  trip  down  the 
Ohio  in  1770,  his  journal  of  which  affords  a  glimpse  of  that 
beautiful  stream,  similar  to  the  description  of  Croghan  five 
years  before.  Washington  was  accompanied  by  Capt.  Wil 
liam  Crawford,  whose  death  at  the  stake  is  one  of  the  most 
appalling  traditions  of  the  west.  They  descended  the  river 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Kenhawa,  ascending  that  stream 
fourteen  miles.  On  his  return,  after  describing  the  Seneca 
or  Mingo  Town,  wrhich  we  have  already  identified  as  Logan's 
residence,  Washington  makes  the  following  significant  ob 
servations:  "The  Indians  who  reside  upon  the  Ohio,  the 
upper  parts  of  it  at  least,  are  composed  of  Shawanese,  Dela- 
wares,  and  some  of  the  Mingoes,  who,  getting  but  little  part 
of  the  consideration  that  was  given  for  the  lands  eastward  of 
the  Ohio,  view  the  settlements  of  the  people  upon  this  river 
with  an  uneasy  and  jealous  eye,  and  do  not  scruple  to  say, 
that  they  must  be  compensated  for  their  right,  if  the  people 
settle  thereon,  notwithstanding  the  cession  of  the  Six  Na 
tions.  On  the  other  hand,  the  people  of  Virginia  and  else 
where,  are  exploring  and  marking  all  the  lands  that  arc 
valuable,  not  only  on  the  Redstone  and  other  waters  on  the 
Monongahela,  but  along  the  Ohio,  as  low  as  the  Little  Ken 
hawa  ;  and  by  the  next  summer,  I  suppose  they  will  get  to 
the  Great  Kenhawa  at  least."  Well  might  Washington 

2)  Sparks'  Washington,  vol.  ii.,  pp.  346-7.  He  had  patents  for  32,373  acres 
— 9,157  on  the  Ohio,  between  the  Kenhawas,  with  a  river  front  of  13£  miles 
— 23,216  acres  on  the  Great  Kenhawa,  with  a  river  front  of  forty  miles.  Be 
sides  these  lands,  he  owned,  fifteen  miles  below  Wheeling,  587  acres,  with 
a  front  of  two  and  a  half  miles.  He  considered  the  land  worth  $3.33  per 
acre. — Sparks'  Washington,  xii.,  264,  317. 


184  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

make  this  prediction,  for  on  reaching  the  mouth  of  the  Ken- 
hawa,  "  at  the  beginning  of  the  bottom  above  the  junction  of 
the  rivers,  and  at  the  mouth  of  a  branch  on  the  east  side 
(he)  marked  two  maples,  an  elm  and  hoop-wood  tree,  as  a 
corner  of  soldiers'  land,  intending  to  take  all  the  bottom  from 
(thence)  to  the  rapids  in  the  Great  Bend,  into  one  survey. 
(He)  also  marked  at  the  mouth  of  another  run  lower  down 
on  the  west  side,  at  the  lower  end  of  the  long  bottom,  an  ash 
and  hoop-wood  for  the  beginning  of  another  of  the  soldiers' 
surveys  to  extend  up  so  as  to  include  all  the  bottom  in  a 
body  on  the  west  side."  Most  certainly,  Washington's  own 
example  was  on  the  most  liberal  scale  of  appropriation. 

As  early  as  1768,  the  Shawanese  indicated  their  jealousy 
of  the  settlement  of  Kentucky — a  region  which,  though  often 
the  theatre  of  desperate  conflicts  with  the  Cherokees  and 
Catawbas,  whose  seats  were  further  south,  was  still  a  most 
desirable  range  for  hunting ;  and  they  complained  of  the 
frequent  voyages  of  the  English  down  the  Ohio  River.  At 
a  conference  with  the  Ohio  tribes,  held  by  George  Croghan, 
at  Pittsburgh,  in  May,  1768,  Nymwha,  one  of  the  Shawanese 
chiefs,  who  submitted  so  reluctantly  to  the  army  of  Bouquet, 
thus  expressed  himself:  "  We  desired  you  not  to  go  down  this 
river  in  the  way  of  the  warriors  belonging  to  the  foolish 
nations  to  the  westward ;  and  told  you  that  the  waters  of 
this  river,  a  great  way  below  this  place,  were  colored  with 
blood ;  you  did  not  pay  any  regard  to  this,  but  asked  us  to 
accompany  you  in  going  down,  which  we  did,  and  we  felt 
the  smart  of  our  rashness,  and  with  difficulty  returned  to  our 
friends,  (alluding  adroitly  to  Croghan's  unlucky  capture  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Wabash  in  1765.)  We  see  you  now 
about  making  batteaux,  and  we  make  no  doubt  you  intend 
going  down  the  river  again,  which  we  now  tell  you  is  disa- 


PROGRESS   OP   SETTLEMENT.  185 

grccable  to  all  nations  of  Indians,  and  now  again  desire  you 
to  sit  still  at  this  place. 

"  They  are  also  uneasy  to  see  that  you  think  yourselves 
masters  of  this  country  because  you  have  taken  it  from  the 
French,  who,  you  know,  had  no  right  to  it,  as  it  is  the  pro 
perty  of  us  Indians.  We  often  hear  that  you  intend  to  fight 
with  the  French  again ;  if  you  do,  we  desire  you  will  remove 
your  quarrel  out  of  the  country,  and  carry  it  over  the  great 
waters,  where  you  used  to  fight,  and  where  we  shall  neither 
see  or  know  any  thing  of  it." 

Still,  at  a  later  period  in  the  conference,  when  the  dissat 
isfied  speaker  was  rebuked  by  the  Seneca  and  Delaware 
envoys,  these  bold  expressions  were  materially  modified,  and 
the  Shawanese  envoys  desired  Croghan  to  "forget  what  they 
first  spoke  and  help  them  to  some  council  wampum,  as  they 
were  very  poor."  Subsequently,  as  each  year  increased 
the  European  occupation  of  Kentucky,  there  can  be  no  doubt 
of  the  increased  alienation  of  the  fierce  denizens  of  the 
Scioto. 

The  peaceful  Delawares  met  the  encroachments  upon  their 
hunting  grounds,  by  slowly  retiring  before  the  advancing 
column  of  emigration — concentrating  their  villages,  more  and 
more,  within  the  wilderness  north  of  the  Ohio,  and  it  was 
not  until  1774  that  the  smothered  flame  of  hostility,  which 
had  been  long  kindled  among  the  Shawanese,  burst  forth. 
The  wanton  murders  of  Logan's  family  immediately  leagued 
the  bands  of  Mingoes  or  Seriecas  with  their  neighbors  on  the 
Scioto,  in  the  work  of  vengeance.  But,  until  we  have 
recalled  some  events  hitherto  omitted,  we  shall  postpone  the 
consideration  of  the  border  war  of  1774,  otherwise  called 
Duninore's  war. 
8* 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

THE  MORAVIAN  MISSIONS  ON  THE  MUSKINGUM. 

THE  most  critical  period  in  the  history  of  the  American 
colonies,  namely,  from  1764  to  1776,  was  not  particularly 
eventful  within  the  present  limits  of  Ohio.  Sandusky  was  a 
blackened  ruin,  and  no  effort  was  made  by  the  English  to 
extend  their  settlements  in  this  region  of  the  West.  The 
contest  between  the  speculators  and  settlers  from  Virginia 
and  Pennsylvania  on  one  side,  and  the  Shawanese  and  Sen- 
ecas  on  the  other,  which  interrupted  the  peace  of  the  Ohio 
valley  in  1774,  was  confined  to  the  western  districts  of  those 
colonies,  including  the  hunting  grounds  of  the  Indians  within 
the  State  of  Kentucky.  The  Wyandots  and  Ottawas  were 
at  that  time  too  far  removed  from  the  scene  of  action,  and 
too  much  under  the  influence  of  the  English  garrison  at 
Detroit,  to  break  the  truce  concluded  by  Pontiac  on  the 
27th  of  August,  1765. 

The  progress  of  English  emigration,  like  the  French  col 
onization,  seemed  to  avoid  Ohio.  There  were  settlements 
on  the  Wabash,  sooner  than  on  the  Scioto  or  the  Miamis — a 
circumstance  attributable,  perhaps,  to  the  vicinity  of  the 
Mississippi,  and  the  contrast  in  number  and  force  of  the  Del- 
awares,  Wyandots,  and  Shawanese  of  Ohio  and  the  unfortu 
nate  Illinois,  whose  power  had  been  broken,  and  their  towns 
desolated  in  revenge  for  the  assassination  of  Pontiac.  Then 
the  open  prairies  may  have  been  more  attractive  than  the 

(186) 


POST'S  TUSCAROIIA  MISSION.  187 

heavy  forests,  which  usually  intercepted  the  sun  between 
Lake  Erie  and  the  Ohio.  Traders  of  course,  found  their 
way  along  the  lake  and  river  coasts,  but  no  stockades  were 
founded,  no  efforts  made  by  associations  or  individuals  to 
secure  proprietary  rights  on  the  northern  border  of  the  Ohio 
River. 

It  was  a  sentiment  of  religious  devotion,  which  first  ven 
tured  within  the  existing  limits  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  and  has 
invested  its  first  permanent  settlement  with  an  interest, 
similar  to  the  Puritan  advent  in  New  England,  and  the 
Canadian  missions  of  the  Jesuits.  If  the  first  European 
settlement  was  by  the  French,  when  they  established  a  fort 
at  Sandusky  in  1750,  yet,  as  we  have  seen,  that  locality 
was  abandoned  by  the  English  after  the  massacre  and  con 
flagration  of  1763,  and  it  was  reserved  for  a  few  German 
missionaries  to  establish  a  permanent  colony  on  the  Mus- 
kingum.  Of  course  we  refer  to  the  Moravians,  who  have 
been  characterized  as  "  the  most  remarkable  Christian  so 
ciety  that  has  arisen  on  the  European  continent  since  the 
era  of  the  Protestant  reformation." 

As  early  as  1761,  Charles  Frederick  Post,  the  indefatiga 
ble  and  sagacious  Moravian,  whose  success  as  an  ambassador 
to  the  Ohio  Indians  in  1758,  has  been  noticed,  penetrated 
to  the  Muskingum,  and  obtained  permission  from  the  Dela- 
wares,  who  had  recently  removed  thither,  to  settle  on  the 
east  side  of  the  Muskingum,  at  the  junction  of  its  two  forks, 
the  Sandy  and  Tuscarowas.  On  the  spot  designated  by  the 
Indians,  Post  built  a  log  cabin,  and  then  returned  to  Beth 
lehem  to  seek  a  suitable  associate,  who  might  teach  the  Indi 
an  children  to  read  and  write,  while  the  former  preached  to 
the  savages.  This  companion  he  found  in  John  Heckewel- 
der,  who,  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  was  released  from  an 


188  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

apprenticeship  to  a  cedar  cooper,  for  the  purpose  of  joining 
Post  on  his  benevolent  errand. 

In  March,  1762,  they  started  on  their  hazardous  journey. 
Narrowly  escaping  the  snows  of  the  Alleghanies,  and  the 
swollen  streams,  but  encouraged  by  the  hospitality  of  Col. 
Bouquet  and  Capt.  Ilutchins,  then  stationed  at  Fort  Pitt, 
the  adventurers  crossed  the  Beaver  River,  assisted  by  the 
canoes  and  services  of  the  Indians  residing  there,  who  also 
gave  them  some  venison  and  bear's  fat — White  Eyes,  a 
chief,  adding  a  gift  of  "  a  few  chickens."  Four  days  after, 
on  the  llth  of  April,  they  arrived  at  their  destination,  after 
a  pilgrimage  of  thirty-three  days.  They  entered  their  cabin 
"singing  a  hymn." 

Heckewelder,  in  his  memoirs,  says  that  "  no  one  lived 
near  on  the  same  side  of  the  river ;  but  on  the  other,  a  mile 
down  the  stream,  resided  a  trader,  named  Thomas  Calhoon, 
a  moral  and  religious  man.  Farther  south  was  situated  the 
Indian  town,  called  Tuscarora;  consisting  of  about  forty 
wigwams.  A  mile  still  farther  down  the  stream,  a  few  fam 
ilies  had  settled ;  and  eight  miles  above,  there  was  another 
Indian  village."  The  locality  called  Tuscarora  town,  was 
on  the  south  (or  west,  according  to  Heckewelder)  side  of 
the  river,  just  above  where  Fort  Laurens  was  afterwards 
built,  and  immediately  contiguous  to  the  present  village  of 
Bolivar,  in  Tuscarowas  county. 

Although  the  Indians  had  allowed  Post  to  erect  his  cabin, 
during  his  absence  they  had  become  suspicious,  fearing  that  the 
missionary  scheme  was  a  mere  pretence,  in  order  to  enable 
the  white  people  to  obtain  a  footing  in  the  Indian  country, 
and  that  in  course  of  time  a  fort  would  be  erected.  When 
they  observed  Post  marking  out  three  acres  of  ground  for  a 
corn-field,  and  beginning  to  cut  down  trees,  they  were  alarmed, 


POST'S   TUSCAROKA   MISSION.  189 

and  sent  him  word  to  appear  before  them  at  the  council 
house  on  the  following  day,  and  meanwhile  to  desist  from 
doing  any  further  work  on  the  premises.  On  his  appearance 
before  them  at  the  time  appointed,  the  speaker,  in  the  name 
of  the  council,  delivered  the  following  address : 

"  Brother !  Last  year  you  asked  our  leave  to  come  and 
live  with  us,  for  the  purpose  of  instructing  us  and  our  chil 
dren  ;  to  which  we  consented ;  and  now  being  come,  we  arc 
glad  to  see  you. 

"Brother!  It  appears  to  us  that  you  must  since  have 
changed  your  mind  ;  for  instead  of  instructing  us  or  our  chil 
dren,  you  are  cutting  down  trees  on  our  land;  you  have 
marked  out  a  large  spot  of  ground  for  a  plantation,  as  the 
white  people  do  every  where ;  and  by  and  by  another  and 
another  may  come  and  do  the  same,  and  the  next  thing  will 
bo  that  a  fort  will  be  built  for  the  protection  of  those  intru 
ders  ;  and  thus  our  country  will  be  claimed  by  the  white 
people,  and  we  driven  farther  back,  as  has  been  the  case 
ever  since  the  white  people  came  into  this  country.  Say,  do 
we  not  speak  the  truth?" 

In  answer  to  this  address,  Post  said  : 

"  Brothers !  What  you  say  I  told  you,  is  true,  with 
regard  to  my  coming  to  live  with  you,  namely,  for  the  purpose 
of  instructing  you ;  but  it  is  likewise  true  that  an  instructor 
must  have  something  to  live  upon,  otherwise  he  cannot  do  his 
duty.  Now,  not  wishing  to  be  a  burden  to  you,  so  as 
to  ask  of  you  provision  for  my  support,  knowing  that  you 
already  have  families  to  provide  for,  I  thought  of  raising  my 
own  bread  ;  and  believed  that  three  acres  of  ground  were 
little  enough  for  that.  You  will  recollect  that  I  told  you 
last  year  that  I  was  a  messenger  from  God,  and  prompted  by 
him  to  preach  and  make  known  his  will  to  the  Indians ;  that 


190  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

they  also  by  faith  might  be  saved,  and  become  inheritors  of 
his  heavenly  kingdom.  Of  your  land  I  do  not  want  a  foot, 
neither  will  my  raising  a  sufficiency  of  corn  and  vegetables 
for  me  and  my  brother  to  subsist  on,  give  me  or  any  other 
person  a  claim  to  your  land." 

Post  having  retired,  to  give  the  chiefs  and  council  time 
to  deliberate,  was  addressed  as  follows  at  a  second  inter 
view  : 

"  Brother  !  Now  as  you  have  spoken  more  distinctly,  we 
may  perhaps  be  able  to  give  you  some  advice.  You  say  that 
you  are  come  at  the  instigation  of  the  Great  Spirit  to  teach 
and  to  preach  to  us.  So  also  say  the  priests  at  Detroit, 
whom  our  Father,  the  French,  has  sent  among  his  Indian 
children.  Well,  this  being  the  case,  you,  as  a  preacher 
want  no  more  land  than  those  do ;  who  are  content  with  a 
garden  lot  to  plant  vegetables  and  pretty  flowers  in,  such  as 
the  French  priests  also  have,  and  of  which  the  white  people 
are  all  fond. 

"Brother!  As  you  are  in  the.  same  station  and  employ 
with  those  preachers  we  allude  to,  and  as  we  never  saw  any 
one  of  those  cut  down  trees  and  till  the  ground  to  get  a  live 
lihood,  we  are  inclined  to  think,  especially  as  those  men  with 
out  laboring  hard  look  well,  that  they  have  to  look  to  another 
source  than  that  of  hard  labor  for  their  maintenance.  And 
we  think  that  if,  as  you  say,  the  Great  Spirit  urges  you  to 
preach  to  the  Indians,  he  will  provide  for  you  in  the  same 
manner  as  he  provides  for  those  priests  we  have  seen  at  Detroit. 
We  are  agreed  to  give  you  a  garden  spot,  even  a  larger  spot  of 
ground  than  those  have  at  Detroit — it  shall  measure  fifty 
steps  each  way,  and  if  it  suits  you,  you  are  at  liberty  to  plant 
therein  what  you  please." 

Post  agreed,  as   there  was   no  remedy,  and  Capt.  Pipe 


THE   TUSCARORA   MISSION.  191 

stepped  off  the  boundaries  of  the  lot,  stakes  were  driven  at 
the  corners,  and  Post  told  that  now  he  might  go  on.1 

We  have  given  this  transaction  as  narrated  by  Heckewel- 
der,  and  it  illustrates  the  jealousy  of  the  Indians,  even  towards 
one  who  possessed  their  confidence,  whenever  the  right  of 
their  lands  was  in  question. 

Next  came  the  danger  of  starvation.  No  flour  could  be 
procured  from  Fort  Pitt,  the  reserved  stock  having  been 
destroyed  by  an  inundation ;  a  famine  prevailed  among  the 
Indians,  who  saved  every  grain  of  maize  for  planting ;  pota 
toes  were  also  very  scarce ;  although  wild  ducks  were  abun 
dant,  they  had  no  canoe  to  hunt  them ;  the  wild  geese  flew 
near  the  centre  of  the  river ;  pheasants  and  squirrels  were 
worthless  in  summer ;  and  their  food  consisted  chiefly  of  fish 
and  the  few  vegetables  of  the  surrounding  forests.  They 
lived  mostly  on  nettles  which  grew  in  the  bottoms,  but  they 
had  brought  some  tea  and  coffee,  their  only  luxury,  although 
drank  without  milk  or  sugar.  Upon  such  a  diet,  the  labor 
of  clearing  their  little  garden,  chopping  the  wood  very  short, 
so  as  to  drag  or  roll  it  from  the  enclosure,  and  of  loosening 
the  ground  with  pickaxes,  reduced  their  strength  daily. 

"  One  day,"  says  Heckewelder,  "  some  chiefs  came  to 
request  my  assistance  for  a  few  days  in  making  a  fence 
round  their  land.  I  gladly  accepted  the  invitation,  being 
desirous  of  doing  anything  to  secure  their  good  will ;  and 
I  did  my  best  to  be  of  service  to  them.  At  the  same 
time,  I  was  enabled  to  restore  my  health  and  strength  ;  for 
as  long  as  I  stayed  witn^em,  I  could  eat  enough  to  satisfy 
the  cravings  of  hunger.  Thus  I  found  myself  suddenly 
transferred,  as  it  were,  to  a  land  of  plenty,  and  where  I  had 
opportunities  to  cultivate  the  acquaintance  of  the  Indian 

1)  Heckewelder's  Narrative,  p.  98. 


192  JIISTOllY   OF   OHIO. 

youth,  and  to  secure  the  favor  of  the  tribe  by  my  industry. 
During  my  stay  with  them,  I  received  the  name  of  "Pisela- 
tulpe,"  Turtle  ;  by  which  I  was  afterwards  known  among  the 
Delawares." 

Late  in  the  summer  an  Indian  conference  was  to  be  held 
at  Lancaster,  and  Post  was  desired  by  the  Governor  of  Penn 
sylvania  to  attend  and  bring  with  him  as  many  of  the  Western 
Delawares  as  possible,  "  but  above  all  King  Beaver,  and  the 
great  war-chief  Shine/ask,  generally  called  by  the  whites,  King 
Shingas.  King  Beaver,  and  probably  Conecogeauge,  or 
"White  Eyes,  were  among  those  who  accompanied  Post,  but 
the  great  war-chief  was  unwilling  to  place  himself  in  the 
power  of  the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  who  had  set  a  high 
price  on  his  scalp.  It  had  been  arranged  at  Bethlehem,  by 
the  Elders  of  the  Congregation,  that  if  Post  returned  to  Lan 
caster,  Heckewelder  should  not  remain  alone  in  the  wilder 
ness  ;  but  the  brave  youth,  unwilling  to  abandon  the  enterprise, 
resolved  not  to  leave  the  lonely  cabin  on  the  Muskingum. 
In  order  to  bring  cedar  wood  for  the  purpose  of  making  tubs 
and  like  articles  for  the  Indians,  and  to  procure  game,  a 
canoe  was  constructed  ;  and  a  number  of  old  sermons  and 
religious  books  were  also  left  with  Heckewelder,  although  he 
was  cautioned  not  to  read  or  write  in  the  presence  of  the 
Indians,  "  for,"  said  his  more  experienced  friend,  "  they  are 
suspicious  of  those  white  people  whom  they  see  engaged  in 
reading  or  writing,  especially  the  latter,  believing  that  it 
concerns  them  or  their  territory."  With  these  provisions 
for  the  comfort  and  contentment  of  his  comrade,  Post 
departed,  and  for  a  short  time,  Heckewelder  did  not  lack  for 
food,  frequently  bringing  down  five  or  six  wild  duck  at  a  shot, 
and  securing  them  by  the  aid  of  his  canoe.  In  respect  to  his 
spiritual  food,  "  I  kept,"  he  writes,  "  my  books  and  papers  in 


AN   INDIAN   FUNERAL. 

the  garret,  from  a  window  of  which  I  could  see  whether  any 
one  was  approaching  the  cabin.  Here  I  whiled  away  many 
an  hour,  far  from  civilization,  alone  with  my  books,  my 
thoughts  and  my  God." 

Before  many  days  were  over,  his  canoe  was  lost  by  the 
carelessness  or  dishonesty  of  the  Indian  boys,  who  often 
borrowed  it  to  spear  fish,  or  to  pursue  the  deer  on  the  river 
by  torchlight.  The  young  hermit's  distress  for  food  returned ; 
he  was  often  entirely  destitute  ;  the  nettles  had  become  too 
large  and  hard  to  use ;  the  vegetables  in  his  garden  were 
stolen,  and  in  consequence  of  exposure  in  wading  through  the 
Muskingum  to  visit  Calhoon,  the  trader,  he  was  attacked 
by  ague  and  fever. 

A  short  time  before,  the  wife  of  the  chief  Shingask, 
(Bog  meadow)  had  died  of  a  fever,  or,  as  the  Indians  sup 
posed,  by  the  enchantment  of  a  malicious  sorcerer.  As  soon 
as  she  had  breathed  her  last,  her  death  was  announced  by 
the  shrieks  and  howlings  of  women  appointed  for  the  pur 
pose,  and  the  funeral  ceremony  is  thus  described  by  Hecke- 
welder.  "Mr.  Calhoon  and  myself,  two  Indian  men  and 
two  Indian  women,  carried  her  to  the  grave.  The  body 
was  dressed  in  the  most  superb  Indian  style ;  and  being 
covered  with  ornaments  and  painted  with  vermillion,  was 
placed  in  the  coffin ;  at  the  upper  end  of  which  an  opening 
had  been  made,  that  the  soul  might  go  in  and  out.  until  it 

had  found  a  new  home.     A  number  of  female  mourners 

• 

formed  part  of  the  funeral  procession ;  which  was  conducted 
amid  a  dead  silence.  On  arriving  at  the  grave,  the  deceased 
was  passionately  entreated  to  stay  with  the  living;  after 
which  the  coffin  was  lowered,  the  grave  filled  up,  and  a  red 
pole  driven  in  at  its  head.  So  far  the  whole  was  sufficiently 
solemn;  but  what  followed,  showed  that  the  living  were 
9 


194  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

more  thought  of  than  the  dead.  A  great  feast  was  made, 
and  presents  to  the  value  of  two  hundred  dollars  were  dis 
tributed  amongst  the  attendants :  Mr.  Calhoon  and  myself 
received  each  of  us,  a  black  silk  handkerchief  and  a  pair  of 
leggins;  but  none  were  better  rewarded  than  the  women 
who  had  acted  as  chief  mourners.  For  three  weeks  after 
the  funeral,  a  kettle  with  provisions  was  carried  out  every 
evening  and  placed  upon  the  grave  in  order  to  refresh  the 
departed  spirit  on  its  way  to  the  new  country.  During  that 
time  the  lamentations  of  the  women-mourners  were  heard 
every  evening,  though  not  so  loud  or  so  violent  as  before." 
At  length,  his  paroxysms  of  fever  growing  more  violent, 
and  his  weakness  rendering  him  unable  to  ford  the  river, 
Heckewelder  remained  in  the  cabin — destitute  and  disconso 
late.  He  declined  an  invitation  to  remove  to  Mr.  Calhoon's 
house,  although,  as  he  says,  he  would  gladly  have  accepted 
the  kind  offer,  but  he  "had  promised  Post  to  remain  at  the 
cabin,  as  otherwise  the  Indians  would  have  stolen  every 
thing."  His  journal  continues:  "Whilst  I  was  in  this  mis 
erable  condition,  I  was  once  visited  by  an  Indian  of  my 
acquaintance ;  and  I  begged  him  to  make  me  a  little  bark 
canoe ;  in  return  for  which  I  promised  to  give  him  a  knife. 
He  did  so,  and  I  soon  made  my  first  trial  with  it,  passing 
down  the  river  to  visit  Mr.  Calhoon.  He  hardly  recognized 
me,  so  much  had  hunger  and  fatigue  changed  my  appear 
ance.  I  was  received  in  the  most  friendly  manner,  and  food 
was  immediately  set  before  me.  I  told  him  of  my  new 
acquisition,  and  that  I  intended  to  use  my  canoe  to  visit  him 
and  the  Indians  in  the  village,  in  order  to  procure  some  food, 
until  I  should  be  sufficiently  recovered  to  hunt.  '  Very 
well,'  said  he, 'never  pass  me  by  in  your  expeditions.  I 
shall  cheerfully  share  with  you.'  I  then  preferred  my  first 


JRUSCARORA   MISSION   RELINQUISHED.  195 

request  for  a  knife  to  give  the  Indian  as  I  had  promised. 
The  good-natured  trader  immediately  told  me  to  send  the 
man  to  his  store ^  so  that  he  might  have  his  choice,  as  he 
was  the  best  Indian  that  he  had  ever  known ;  and  that  I 
need  not  pay  him  any  thing  for  it.  I  had  in  fact  not  one 
cent  in  my  possession,  but  had  permission  from  Post,  in  case 
of  necessity,  to  draw  upon  the  trader  for  what  was  abso 
lutely  necessary.  At  this  time  I  was  frequently  reduced  to 
such  distress,  that  the  least  morsel  of  food,  if  offered,  would 
.have  been  acceptable.  But  although  I  could  make  out  to 
live,  I  was  unable  to  do  any  thing,  towards  effecting  the 
object  for  which  I  had  come.  Indeed  it  soon  became  evi 
dent  that  our  enterprise  was  to  be  a  complete  failure. 

"  Post  had  hardly  been  gone  three  weeks,  when  the  rumor 
was  spread,  that  he  never  intended  to  return;  nay,  more, 
that  even  were  he  to  attempt  it,  he  would  not  be  allowed  by 
the  tribe  to  do  so :  that  his  sole  purpose  was  to  deliver  the 
Indian  country  into  the  hands  of  the  white  people,  and  that 
this  was  the  secret  of  his  pretended  missionary  efforts.  It 
was  also  reported  that  a  war  would  soon  break  out  between 
the  English  and  Indians,  in  which  the  latter  would  be  assisted 
by  their  old  allies,  the  French.  All  this  I  had  written  to 
Post ;  having  found  means  to  send  him  the  information  by  a 
Mr.  Denison  from  Detroit,  who  was  traveling  to  Philadel 
phia.  He  returned  answer,  that  he  had  already  heard  the 
unwelcome  news,  and  that,  in  the  pass  things  had  come  to, 
I  could  do  no  better  than  to  return  as  speedily  as  possible. 
Gladly  would  I  have  followed  his  advice,  but  my  horse  was 
lost,  or  had  been  stolen,  for  upwards  of  three  months.  I 
was  too  weak  to  travel  on  foot ;  and  Mr.  Calhoon's  pack- 
horse  drivers,  who  had  intended  to  set  out  for  Pittsburgh 
with  furs,  were  all  laid  up  with  the  fever.  I  was  therefore 


196  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

under  the  necessity  of  waiting  for  their  recovery ;  and  in  the 
meantime  I  put  my  trust  in  the  Lord. 

"Meanwhile  I  was  twice  warned  by  friendly  Indians  to 
leave  their  country ;  and  every  time  I  visited  Tuscarora,  I 
saw  strangers  among  the  real  inhabitants,  and  perceived  that 
I  was  the  object  of  their  scrutiny.  But  I  remained  in 
happy  ignorance  of  my  dangerous  situation,  until,  one  after 
noon,  one  of  Mr.  Calhoon's  men  called  from  the  opposite 
bank  of  the  Muskingum,  requesting  me  to  lock  my  door  and 
cross  the  river  immediately,  as  Mr.  Calhoon  wished  to  speak 
with  me  on  business  of  great  importance.  Having  wrapped 
up  a  few  articles  of  dress  in  my  blanket,  I  paddled  across. 
As  soon  as  I  arrived  at  Mr.  C.'s,  he  told  me  privately  that 
an  Indian  woman,  who  frequently  came  to  his  store,  and  who 
made  shirts  which  he  kept  for  sale,  had  asked  him  that  day 
whether  the  white  man,  who  lived  above  on  the  other  side  of 
the  river,  were  his  friend ;  and  that  on  his  answering  in  the 
affirmative,  she  had  said  :  '  Take  him  away  ;  don't  let  him 
remain  one  night  longer  in  his  cabin ;  he  is  in  danger  there.' 

"  The  next  morning  I  wished  to  return,  to  see  whether 
any  thing  had  taken  place  at  the  cabin,  and,  if  possible,  to 
fetch  a  few  necessary  articles  which  had  been  left  behind  in 
the  hurry  of  my  departure.  Mr.  Calhoon,  however,  would 
not  let  me  go,  but  sent  two  of  his  strongest  men  to  see  how 
things  stood.  One  of  them,  James  Smith,  was  a  man  of  such 
uncommon  strength,  that  the  Indians  considered  him  a  Man- 
itto,  and  would  hardly  be  anxious  to  engage  him  personally. 
They  reported  that  the  house  had  been  broken  open  during 
the  night,  and  that,  judging  from  appearances  there,  two 
persons  had  been  in.  There  were  signs  of  a  late  fire  on  the 
hearth,  and  they  had  evidently  been  waiting  for  me.  Of 
course  my  return  was  out  of  the  question  ;  the  attempt  would* 


ESCAPE    OF   HECKEWELDER.  197 

have  been  actual  foolhardiness.  I  never  saw  my  lonely  cabin 
again,  remaining  under  the  hospitable  roof  of  the  trader. 
Meanwhile,  as  I  afterwards  heard,  emissaries  of  the  Senecas 
and  Northern  Indians,  wrere  busily  engaged  in  exciting  the 
Delawares  to  take  up  the  hatchet  against  the  English  ;  and 
soon  after  my  departure,  war  broke  out,  and  more  than  thirty 
white  people  of  my  acquaintance  lost  their  lives. 

"About  this  time,  the  Indian  chiefs,  whom  Post  had 
accompanied  to  Lancaster,  returned  home ;  and  we  soon  per 
ceived  that,  from  some  cause  or  other,  their  friendship  had 
considerably  cooled.  One  of  them,  however,  King  Beaver, 
remained  favorably  disposed ;  but  all  he  could  do  was  to  give 
me  several  friendly  hints  to  hasten  my  departure.  Fortu 
nately,  Mr.  Calhoon's  men  were  now  restored  to  health,  and 
determined  to  set  out  on  their  journey  to  Pittsburgh.  My 
kind  host  lent  me  a  young  horse  to  ride  on  ;  and  in  return  I 
offered  what  assistance  I  could  give  his  men  in  loading  and 
unloading  at  the  encampments. 

"  We  now  took  an  affectionate  leave  of  each  other.  His 
conduct  had  been  that  of  a  Christian  indeed  ;  and  his  kind 
ness  will  be  remembered  by  me  as  long  as  I  live.  He  would 
have  left  the  country  with  me  ;  but  property  of  great  amount 
had  been  entrusted  to  him,  and  this  he  considered  him 
self  bound  to  guard  as  long  as  possible.  After  my  return  to 
Bethlehem,  I  learned  through  the  public  papers  that  he  and 
his  brother,  together  with  their  servants,  had  been  ordered  by 
the  Delaware  chiefs  to  leave  their-country ;  as  they  were  una 
ble  any  longer  to  protect  them.  They  set  out  for  Pittsburgh, 
but  were  attacked  on  the  road,  at  the  Beaver  River,  by  a 
party  of  warriors,  and  only  two  saved  their  lives,  Mr.  C. 
himself,  who  outstripped  his  pursuers  in  the  race,  and  James 
Smith,  who  had  strangled  his  antagonist. 


198  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

"  On  the  third  day  after  our  departure  from  Muskingum, 
we  met  Post  and  the  Indian  agent,  Captain  McKee  ;  who 
were  returning  to  the  Indian  country,  totally  ignorant  of  the 
real  state  of  affairs.  In  spite  of  our  earnest  remonstrances, 
they  insisted  on  proceeding,  not  considering  the  danger  so 
imminent.  They  were  soon  undeceived  on  their  arrival ;  and 
their  lives  were  in  danger.  The  agent  was  protected  by  the 
friendship  of  the  chiefs ;  but  Post,  whom  the  Indians  sus 
pected  of  secret  designs  against  them,  as  they  were  at  a  loss 
to  explain  his  missionary  movements,  had  to  fly  for  his  life, 
and  was  conducted  to  a  place  of  safety,  through  a  secret 
forest-path,  by  one  of  his  former  fellow-travelers,  to  Lancaster. 

"Having  taken  leave  of  Post,  I  hastened  after  my  com 
panions,  who  had  proceeded  in  the  meantime.  At  a  distance 
of  five  miles  I  expected  to  find  their  tents ;  and  seeing  the 
smoke  of  an  encampment  curling  above  the  trees,  I  rode  on, 
but  was  much  surprised  to  find  myself  suddenly  in  the  midst 
of  a  war-party.  The  sight  of  the  Indian  captives  and  of  the 
scalping  pole,  with  its  savage  decorations,  was  not  calculated 
to  encourage  me.  I  was,  however,  suffered  to  pass  on ;  and 
on  riding  five  miles  further,  I  found  my  company,  by  whom 
I  was  informed  that  I  had  fallen  in  with  a  party  of  Senecas, 
who  had  just  returned  from  an  expedition  against  the  Chero- 
kees." 

In  the  third  week  of  October,  Mr.  Heckewelder  arrived 
at  Pittsburgh,  and  when  he  finally  reached  Bethlehem,  fatigue 
and  disease  had  so  altered  his  appearance  that  he  was  not  at 
first  recognized  by  his  brethren.2 

Years  afterwards,  the  young  enthusiast,  who  accompanied 
Post  to  the  solitary  cabin  on  the  banks  of  the  Muskingum, 
and  returned  to  his  brethren  at  such  imminent  hazard  of  his 

2)  Life  of  Heckcwclder,  by  Rev.  Edward  Round  tlialcr,  45-53. 


THE   MUSKINGUM   MISSION.  199 

life,  was  instrumental  in  establishing  a  mission  in  Ohio,  and 
in  later  years  became  widely  known  as  a  useful  envoy  of  the 
United  States  to  the  Indian  tribes,  and  as  the  author  of  sev 
eral  works  of  much  historical  value. 

No  less  prominent  in  the  history  of  the  Moravian  mission 
in  Ohio — indeed,  its  effectual  founder — was  the  Rev.  David 
Zeisberger.  This  devoted  missionary,  encountering  many 
discouragements  at  the  missionary  stations  founded  on  the 
Alleghany,  or  Upper  Ohio,  in  1768,  and  on  the  Beaver  in 
1770,  was  agreeably  surprised,  in  the  spring  of  1771,  to 
receive  an  invitation  from  a  council  of  Delaware  Indians  on 
the  Muskingum,  to  remove  a  colony  of  missionaries  and 
Christian  Indians  to  that  river.  Next  year,  the  invitation 
was  with  much  earnestness  renewed,  the  Wyandots  joining 
in  it.  Zeisberger  was  encouraged  to  make  a  journey  of  explo 
ration,  accompanied  by  a  few  Indian  brethren,  and  on  the 
16th  of  March,  1772,  (according  to  Loskiel,)  discovered  a 
large  tract  of  land,  situated  not  far  from  the  banks  of  the 
Muskingum,  with  a  good  spring,  a  small  lake,  good  planting 
grounds,  much  game,  and  every  other  convenience  for  the 
support  of  an  Indian  colony.  This  place  was  about  seventy 
miles  from  Lake  Erie,  and  thirty  miles  from  Gekelemukpec- 
hink,  where  resided  the  Delaware  chiefs,  upon  whose  invita 
tion  the  Moravians  had  come.  Thither  Zeisberger  repaired, 
and  informed  the  council  that  the  converted  Indians  had 
thankfully  accepted  of  their  invitation,  desiring  that  the  tract 
of  land  he  had  just  now  discovered  might  be  given  to  them. 
In  answer  to  this  request,  he  heard  with  great  pleasure  that  this 
was  the  very  spot  of  ground  destined  by  the  chiefs  in  council  for 
them.  They  also  determined,  in  a  solemn  manner,  that  all  the 
lands  from  the  entrance  of  the  Gekelemukpe chink  creek  into  the 
river  Muskingum  to  Tuscarora,  should  belong  to  the  converted 


200  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

Indians,  and  that  no  other  Indians  should  be  permitted  to  settle 
upon  them :  further  that  all  Indians  dwelling  on  the  borders 
of  this  country,  should  be  directed  to  behave  peaceably 
towards  them  and  their  teachers,  and  neither  disturb  their 
worship,  nor  prevent  people  from  going  to  them  to  hear  the 
word  of  God. 

"  Zeisberger,"  adds  Loskiel,  "  praised  the  Lord  for  his 
gracious  help  in  the  execution  of  this  important  commission, 
and  having  again  visited  the  above  mentioned  country,  took 
possession  of  it  in  the  name  of  the  Christian  Indians,  who  were 
uncommonly  rejoiced  by  the  account  of  his  success  given  on 
his  return  to  Friedenstadt. 

"  Five  families,  consisting  in  all  of  twenty-eight  persons, 
were  now  appointed  to  begin  the  new  settlement,  and  were 
willing  to  undertake  it.  Brother  Zeisberger  set  out  with 
them  on  the  14th  of  April,  and  after  a  safe  but  tedious  journey, 
arrived  May  3d  at  the  new  land  on  the  Muskingum.  The  day 
following  they  marked  out  their  plantations,  erected  field  huts, 
and  were  all  diligently  employed  in  clearing  land  and  planting. 

"  Brother  Zeisberger  began  immediately  to  preach  the 
Gospel  in  this  new  settlement,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of 
Schoen-brunn,  (the  Beautiful  Spring.)"3 

Our  present  purpose  simply  is  to  record  the  general  fact 
of  the  settlement  on  the  Muskingum  in  1772—3,  by  the 
Moravians  and  their  Indian  disciples — hoping,  however,  that 
the  brief  narrative  has  already  enlisted  the  sympathy  of  the 
reader  with  these  unselfish  colonists.  Having  thus  introduced 
them,  we  propose  to  enlarge  upon  the  previous  history  of  this 
remarkable  sect,  whose  labors  of  love  have  been  attested  in 
the  darkest  recesses  of  the  pagan  world.  The  Moravian 

3)  Loskiel's  History  of  the  Moravian  Missions  in  North  America;  Lon 
don  translation,  1794;  part  iii.,  p.  74. 


MORAVIAN   MISSIONS    IN    OHIO.  201 

missionaries  were  more  successful  than  any  other  class  in 
subduing  the  intractable  soul  of  the  American  savage  to  the 
Gospel.  Indeed,  their  aptitude  for  these  beneficent  toils  has 
been  illustrated  with  equal  distinctness  wherever  their  mis 
sions  have  extended. 

Our  notice  of  their  movements  in  Ohio  would  perhaps  be 
more  cursory,  if  they  had  been  confined  to  the  southeastern 
section  of  the  State,  but  as,  ten  years  afterwards,  the  Cuya- 
hoga  and  Huron  Rivers  were  the  scene  of  temporary  settle 
ments,  it  seems  to  be  requisite  that  the  character  of  this 
extraordinary  brotherhood,  and  their  exertions  among  the 
North  American  Indians  should  constitute  the  theme  of 
another  chapter. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

THE  SOCIETY  OF  UNITED  BRETHREN. 

THE  Christian  society,  generally  called  Moravians,  which 
has  since  extended  its  branches  to  so  many  nations  and  sup 
plied  at  once  the  most  industrious  citizens  to  civilized  commu 
nities,  and  the  most  diligent  and  successful  missionaries  to 
heathen  and  savage  hordes,  has  been  described  by  different 
writers  under  the  various  denominations  of  Moravians,  from 
the  district  of  Moravia,1  in  Germany,  which  they  once  inhab 
ited  ;  of  Herrnhutters,  from  Herrnhutt,  in  Saxony,  where  in 
1722,  they  found  a  refuge  from  persecution  within  the  do 
mains  of  the  celebrated  Court  Zinzendorf,  who  became  their 
bishop  ;  and  of  The  United  Brethren  of  the  Protestant  Epis 
copal  Church,  which  is  the  title  recognized  by  themselves. 

According  to  the  society's  own  account,  however,  they  de 
rive  their  origin  from  the  Greek  Church,  in  the  ninth  century, 
when  by  the  instrumentality  of  Methodius  and  Cyrillus,  two 
Greek  monks,  the  kings  of  Bulgaria  and  Moravia,  being  con 
verted  to  the  faith,  were,  together  with  their  subjects,  united 
in  communion  with  the  Greek  Church.2  Methodius  was  their 

1)  The  ancient  province  of  Moravia  adjoined  Hungary  on  the  northwest, 
and  was  surrounded  by  that  country,  Bohemia  and  Austria.  It  lies  north 
west  from  Vienna ;  and  Olmutz,  the  prison  of  Lafayette,  is  its  principal 
town. 

2;  Another  version  is,  that  in  the  ninth  century  a  sister  of  the  King  of 
Bulgaria  being  carried  a  prisoner  to  Constantinople,  became  a  Christian ; 
and  through  her  means,  on  her  return  to  her  native  land,  a  Christian  church 
was  established  in  her  country,  of  which  the  King  of  Moravia  and  the  Duke 

of  Bohemia  became  members. 

(202) 


SOCIETY    OF   UNITED    BRETHREN.  203 

first  bishop,  and  for  their  use  Cyrillus  translated  the  Scrip 
tures  into  the  Sclavonian  language. 

The  antipathy  of  the  Greek  and  Roman  Churches  is  well 
known,  and  by  much  the  greater  part  of  the  brethren  were 
in  process  of  time  compelled,  after  many  struggles,  to  submit 
to  the  see  of  Rome.  A  few,  however,  adhering  to  the  rites 
of  their  mother  Church,  united  themselves,  in  1470,  to  the 
Waldenses  and  sent  missionaries  into  many  countries.  In 
1547  they  were  called  Fratres  Legis  Christi,  or  Brethren 
of  the  Law  of  Christ :  because,  about  that  period,  they  had 
thrown  off  all  reverence  for  human  compilations  of  the  faith, 
professing  simply  to  follow  the  doctrines  and  precepts  con 
tained  in  the  Word  of  God. 

There  being  at  this  time  no  bishops  in  the  Bohemian  Church, 
who  had  not  conformed  to  the  Church  of  Rome,  three  preachers 
of  the  United  Brethren  were,  about  the  year  14G7,  ordained 
by  Stephen,  a  bishop  of  the  Waldenses  in  Austria;  and  these, 
on  their  return  to  their  own  country,  ordained  ten  bishops  or 
seniors,  from  among  the  rest.  In  1523,  the  United  Brethren 
commenced  a  friendly  correspondence,  first  with  Luther,  and 
afterwards  with  Calvin,  and  other  leaders  among  the  reform 
ers.  A  persecution  which  was  brought  upon  them  on  this 
account,  and  some  religious  disputes  which  took  place  among 
themselves,  threatened  for  awhile  the  society  with  ruin ;  but 
the  disputes  were,  1570,  put  an  end  to,  by  a  synod,  which 
decreed  that  differences  about  non-essentials  should  not  de 
stroy  their  union ;  and  the  persecution  ceased  in  1557,  when 
the  United  Brethren  obtained  an  edict  for  the  public  exercise 
of  their  religion.  This  toleration  was  renewed  in  1609,  and 
liberty  granted  them  to  erect  new  churches.  But  a  civil 
war,  which,  in  1612,  broke  out  in  Bohemia,  and  a  violent 
persecution  which  followed  it  in  1621,  occasioned  the  disper- 


204  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

sion  of  their  ministers,  and  brought  great  distress  upon  the 
brethren  in  general.  Some  of  them  fled  to  England,  others 
to  Saxony  and  Brandenburg ;  whilst  many,  overcome  by  the 
severity  of  the  persecutions,  conformed  to  the  Church  of 
Rome.  One  colony  of  these,  who  retained  their  original 
principles  and  practice,  was,  in  1722,  conducted  by  a  brother 
named  Christian  David,  from  Fulneck,  in  Moravia,  to  Upper 
Lasatia,  where  they  put  themselves  under  the  protection  of 
Nicholas  Lewis,  Count  of  Zinzendorf,  and  built  a  village  on 
his  estate,  at  the  foot  of  a  hill,  called  Hutberg,  or  Watch 
Hill.  They  called  their  settlement  Herrnhut,  "  the  watch 
of  the  Lord."  The  Count,  who  soon  after  their  arrival,  re 
moved  from  Dresden  to  his  estate  in  the  country,  showed 
every  mark  of  kindness  to  the  poor  emigrants ;  but  being  a 
zealous  member  of  the  church  established  by  law,  he  endeav 
ored  for  some  time  to  prevail  upon  them  to  unite  themselves 
with  it  by  adopting  the  Lutheran  faith  and  discipline.  This 
they  declined ;  and  the  Count,  on  a  more  minute  inquiry  into 
their  ancient  history  and  distinguishing  tenets,  not  only  de 
sisted  from  his  first  purpose,  but  became  himself  a  convert 
to  the  faith  and  discipline  of  the  United  Brethren. 

The  Synod,  which,  in  1570,  put  an  end  to  the  disputes 
which  then  tore  the  church  of  the  Brethren  into  factions, 
had  considered  as  non-essentials  the  distinguishing  tenets  of 
their  own  society,  of  the  Lutherans  and  of  the  Calvinists. 
In  consequence  of  this,  many  of  the  reformers  of  both  these 
sects  had  followed  the  Brethren  to  Herrnhut,  and  been  re 
ceived  by  them  into  communion ;  but  not  being  endued  with 
the  peaceable  spirit  of  the  church  which  they  had  joined, 
they  started  disputes  among  themselves,  which  threatened 
the  destruction  of  the  whole  establishment.  By  the  indefat 
igable  exertions  of  Count  Zinzendorf,  these  disputes  were 


SOCIETY    OF   UNITED    BRETHREN.  205 

allayed ;  and  statutes  being,  in  1727,  drawn  up  and  agreed 
to  for  the  regulation  both  of  the  internal  and  of  the  external 
concerns  of  the  congregation,  brotherly  love  and  union  were 
again  established ;  and  no  schism  whatever,  in  point  of  doc 
trine,  has  since  that  period  disturbed  the  church  of  the  Uni 
ted  Brethren. 

In  1735,  their  eminent  benefactor,  Zinzendorf,  was  ordained 
a  Bishop,  and  congratulated  on  the  event  by  Dr.  Potter,  then 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury  in  England,  and  continued  to  dis 
charge  the  duties  of  that  station  until  his  death  in  17GO. 

The  United  Brethren  allow  to  their  Bishops  no  eminence 
of  rank  or  authority.  The  form  of  government  is  essentially 
representative,  the  source  of  power  being  the  Synod  of  the 
whole  Unity.  This  Assembly  meets  at  intervals  of  from  ten 
to  twenty  years ;  the  time  of  holding  the  Synod  being  deter 
mined  by  lot.  To  this  synod  every  congregation  may  send 
a  deputy,  as  also  every  provincial  conference.  The  place  of 
meeting  is  either  at  Herrnhut,  or  at  Bertherlsdorf  in  Sax 
ony.  All  questions  of  importance  are  determined  by  lot; 
and  the  resolutions  of  the  Synod,  copies  of  which  are  sent  to 
the  different  congregations,  are  binding  on  every  member  of 
the  Unity.  At  the  close  of  the  sessions,  all  of  the  assembled 
deputies  vote  for  members  of  the  General  Conference  of  Elders 
of  the  Unity ;  who  are  to  carry  out  the  measures  of  the  Synod, 
and  manage  the  affairs  of  the  church  until  a  new  Synod  is 
assembled,  at  the  commencement  of  which  they  resign  their 
offices.  The  members  of  this  Conference  are  also  determined 
by  lot,  from  among  those  who  have  received  the  highest  num 
ber  of  votes.  By  this  Conference  inferior  ones  are  appointed 
in  the  different  provinces  of  the  church ;  of  which  there  are 
two  in  America,  the  members  of  which  meet  at  Bethlehem 
in  Pennsylvania,  and  at  Salem  in  North  Carolina.  The 


20P>  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

provincial  conferences  appoint  ministers  to  the  different  con 
gregations,  with  the  consent  of  the  respective  committees  of 
these  latter. 

As  to  the  tenets  of  the  Moravians,  they  adhered  to  the 
Augsburgh  Confession  of  Faith,  composed  by  the  German 
Reformers  in  the  year  1530,  and  they  professed  a  strictly 
literal  obedience  to  the  primitive  ordinances  of  Christianity. 
Finding  no  warrant  in  Scripture  for  the  common  practice  of 
transferring  Sabbatical  honor  to  the  first  day  of  the  week, 
they  dedicated  Saturday  to  contemplative  quiet,  and  entire 
cessation  from  bodily  labor ;  and  yet  assembled  on  Sunday 
to  commemorate  the  death  and  resurrection  of  Christ.  Like 
the  Quakers,  they  renounced  all  war  and  violence ;  like  the 
Tankers,3  they  established  a  community  of  goods ;  they 
taught  industry  as  a  branch  of  religion — regarding  its  offices 
and  its  fruits  alike,  as  occasions  or  instruments  of  fulfilling 
the  will  of  God ;  and  they  retained  the  primitive  practices 
of  washing  feet,  saluting  with  the  kiss  of  holy  love,  and  solv 
ing  doubts  by  appealing  to  Heaven  through  the  intervention 
of  lots.  This  last  practice  was  employed  in  particular,  as  a 
test  of  the  propriety  of  contracting  intended  marriages.4 

3)  For  twenty  years  after  the  settlement  of  Bethlehem,  in  1742,  this  so 
cialism  prevailed,  when  the  members  were  allowed  to  purchase  their  tene 
ments  on  payment  of  a  slight  ground  rent. 

4)  Madame  de  Stael  thus  particularizes  on  this  subject,  (2  Germany,  276) : 
"  When  a  young  man  chooses  to  take  a  companion,  he  addresses  himself 

to  the  female  superintendents  of  girls  or  widows,  and  demands  of  them  the 
person  he  wishes  to  espouse.  They  draw  lots  in  the  church,  to  know  whether 
he  ought  to  marry  the  woman  whom  he  prefers;  and  if  the  lot  is  against 
him,  he  gives  up  his  demand.  The  Moravians  have  such  a  habit  of  resig 
nation,  that  they  do  not  resist  this  decision;  and  as  they  only  see  the  wo 
men  at  church,  it  costs  them  less  to  renounce  tlieir  choice." 

There  is  no  doubt  that  such  was  the  case  in  their  original  constitution  ; 
but  the  custom  is  now  changed,  and  the  consent  of  the  elders  can  always 
be  obtained,  where  the  marriage  is  suitable,  and  the  conduct  of  the  parties 
has  been  free  from  impropriety. 


SOCIETY   OP   UNITED   BRETHREN.  207 

The  men  and  women,  before  marriage,  lived  separately 
from  each  other,  in  assemblies  where  the  most  perfect  equal 
ity  prevailed;  and  in  each  of  these  assemblies,  one  of  the 
members,  in  rotation,  was  appointed  to  pass  the  night  in 
watching  and  prayer.  Silent  assiduity  in  business,  gentle 
ness  of  manner,  plainness  of  apparel,  and  the  utmost  personal 
and  domestic  neatness  were  universally  cultivated  by  the 
members  of  this  society.  It  was  a  fundamental  principle  of 
their  faith,  that  the  true  dignity  and  highest  worth  of  a 
human  being,  consist  not  in  requiring  and  receiving  service 
from  his  fellows,  but  in  rendering  it  to  them.  The  Mora 
vians  have  been  termed  by  Madame  de  Stael,  the  monks  of 
Protestanism,  for  though  they  rejected  vows,  their  society 
was  entirely  ecclesiastical,  every  thing  being  accomplished 
by  religious  influence,  and  all  affairs  subjected  to  the  super 
intendence  and  direction  of  the  elders  of  the  church. 

Madame  De  Stael  has  left  to  us  the  following  pleasing 
description  of  a  Moravian  village  :5 

"  I  was  sometime  ago  at  Dentendorf,  a  little  village  near 
Erforth,  where  a  Moravian  community  is  established.  This 
village  is  three  leagues  distant  from  every  great  road ;  it  is 
situated  between  two  mountains,  upon  the  banks  of  a  rivulet ; 
willows  and  lofty  poplars  environ  it ;  there  is  something  tran 
quil  and  sweet  in  the  look  of  the  country,  which  prepares  the 
soul  to  free  itself  from  the  turbulence  of  life.  The  buildings 
and  the  streets  are  marked  by  perfect  cleanliness;  the 
women,  all  clothed  alike,  hide  their  hair,  and  bind  their 
heads  with  a  riband,  whose  color  indicates  whether  they  are 
married,  maidens  or  widows ;  the  men  are  clothed  in  brown, 
almost  like  Quakers.  Mercantile  industry  employs  nearly 
all  of  them ;  but  one  does  not  hear  the  least  noise  in  the  vil- 

•r>)  See  her  "Germany;"  Philadelphia  edition,  1811 ;  vol.  ii.,  p.  270. 


208  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

lage.  Everybody  works  in  regularity  and  silence ;  and  the 
internal  action  of  religious  feelings  lulls  to  rest  every  other 
impulse. 

u  Instead  of  bells,  wind  instruments,  of  a  very  sweet  har 
mony,  summon  them  to  divine  service.  As  we  proceeded 
to  church,  by  the  sound  of  this  imposing  music,  we  felt  our 
selves  carried  away  from  the  earth ;  we  fancied  that  we 
heard  the  trumpets  of  the  last  judgment,  not  such  as  remorse 
makes  us  fear  them,  but  such  as  a  pious  confidence  makes  us 
hope  them  ;  it  seemed  as  if  the  divine  compassion  manifested 
itself  in  this  appeal,  and  pronounced  beforehand  the  pardon 
of  regeneration. 

"  The  church  was  dressed  out  in  white  roses,  and  blossoms 
of  white  thorn ;  pictures  were  not  banished  from  the  temple  ; 
and  music  was  cultivated  as  a  constituent  part  of  religion ; 
they  only  sang  psalms  ;  there  was  neither  sermon,  nor  mass, 
nor  argument,  nor  theological  discussion ;  it  was  the  worship 
of  God  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  The  women,  all  in  white, 
were  ranged  by  each  other  without  any  distinction  what 
ever  ;  they  looked  like  the  innocent  shadows  who  were  about 
to  appear  together  before  the  tribunal  of  the  Divinity. 

"  The  burying  ground  of  the  Moravians,  is  a  garden,  the 
walks  of  which  are  marked  out  by  funeral  stones :  and  by 
the  side  of  each  is  planted  a  funeral  shrub.  All  these  grave 
stones  are  equal;  not  one  of  these  shrubs  rises  above  the 
other ;  and  the  same  epitaph  serves  for  all  the  dead.  '  He 
was  born  on  such  a  day ;  and  on  such  an  other,  he  returned 
into  his  native  country.'  Excellent  expression  to  designate 
the  end  of  our  life !  The  ancients  said  i  he  lived ;'  and 
thus  threw  a  veil  over  the  tomb,  to  divest  themselves  of  its 
idea ;  the  Christians  place  over  it  the  star  of  hope. 

"On  Easter-day,  divine  service  is  performed  in  the  bury- 


SOCIETY    OF    UNITED    BRETHREN.  209 

ing  ground,  which  is  close  to  the  church,  and  the  resurrec 
tion  is  announced  in  the  middle  of  the  tombs.  All  those 
who  are  present  at  this  act  of  worship,  know  the  stone  is  to 
be  placed  over  their  coffin ;  and  already  breathe  the  perfume 
of  the  young  tree,  whose  leaves  and  flowers  will  penetrate 
into  their  tombs. 

"  The  communion  of  the  Moravians  cannot  adapt  itself  to 
the  social  state,  such  as  circumstances  ordain  it  to  be ;  but 
as  it  has  been  long  and  frequently  asserted  that  Catholicism 
alone  addressed  the  imagination,  it  is  of  consequence  to 
remark  that  what  truly  touches  the  soul  in  religion  is  com 
mon  to  all  Christian  churches.  A  sepulchre  and  a  prayer 
exhaust  all  the  power  of  the  pathetic  :  and  the  more  simple 
the  faith,  the  more  emotion  is  caused  by  the  worship."6 

But  the  characteristic  of  the  Moravians  which  has  led  to 
this  extended  notice  of  the  sect,  is  their  missionary  zeal. 
"  Their  missionaries,"  it  has  been  observed,  "  are  all  of  them 
volunteers ;  for  it  is  an  inviolable  maxim  with  them  to  per 
suade  no  man  to  engage  in  missions.  They  are  all  of  one 
mind  as  to  the  doctrines  they  teach,  and  seldom  make  an 
attempt,  where  there  are  not  half  a  dozen  of  them  in  the 

0)  This  picture,  by  the  author  of  Corinne,  is  repeated  in  its  leading  features 
at  Bethlehem  and  Litiz,  which,  with  Nazareth,  are  still  Moravian  villages. 
In  Howe's  Pennsylvania,  (p.  515)  Bethlehem  is  thus  described:  "The  town 
has  always  elicited  the  admiration  of  travelers  by  its  substantial,  neat  and 
orderly  appearance.  The  principal  buildings  and  other  objects  of  interest 
are  the  spacious  church,  capable  of  containing  about  2.000  persons,  the  only 
one  in  the  place :  the  Brother's  house  and  Sister's  house,  where  those  who 
choose  to  live  in  a  state  of  single-blessedness,  and  still  earn  an  independent 
support,  can  do  so;  the  corpse  house  and  cemetery;  the  museum  of  the 
Young  Men's  Missionary  Society,  containing  a  cabinet  of  minerals  and  a  col 
lection  of  curiosities,  sent  in  by  the  missionary  brethren  from  all  parts  of 
the  world ;  the  celebrated  female  seminary ;  the  water  works  on  the  Manock- 
isy,  said  to  have  been  in  operation  more  than  90  years,  (prior  to  18-13,)  and 
which  furnished  the  model  for  those  in  Philadelphia. 
9* 


210  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

mission.  Their  zeal  is  calm,  steady,  persevering.  They 
would  reform  the  world,  but  are  careful  how  they  quarrel 
with  it.  They  carry  their  point  by  address,  and  the  insinu 
ations  of  modesty  and  mildness,  which  commend  them  to  all 
men,  and  give  offence  to  none.  The  habits  of  silence,  qui 
etness,  and  decent  reserve,  mark  their  character.  If  any 
of  their  missionaries  are  carried  off  by  sickness  or  casualty, 
men  of  the  same  stamp  are  ready  to  supply  their  place." 
Perhaps  by  no  class  of  Protestant  Christians  was  so  much 
missionary  merit  acquired  as  by  the  Moravian  brethren.  In 
the  education  of  their  own  children,  not  less  than  in  their 
exertions  to  instruct  adult  heathens,  the  members  of  this 
society  were  preeminently  successful.  One  main  cause, 
doubtless,  was,  that  they  regarded  tuition,  whether  children 
in  years,  or  children  in  understanding,  as  a  process  calcula 
ted  alike  for  the  benefit  of  the  instructors  and  the  pupils : 
and  were  primarily  careful  to  apply  to  themselves,  and  prac 
tically  demonstrate  in  their  intercourse  with  others,  the  influ 
ence  of  the  doctrines  and  precepts  which  they  communicated. 
"  As  early  as  1727,"  says  Loskiel,  "  which  was  soon  after 
the  restoration  of  the  Unity  of  the  Brethren,  they  began  to 

"  All  the  property  belongs  to  the  Society,  who  lease  out  the  lots  only  to 
members  of  their  own  communion.  Each  individual,  when  of  age,  becomes 
a  subscriber  to  the  rules  of  the  Society,  with  the  right  of  withdrawing  him 
self  at  pleasure;  in  which  case,  however,  he  is  required  to  dispose  of  his 
property,  if  a  householder,  and  remove  from  the  town.  Each  member  pur 
sues  his  occupation  on  his  own  private  account ;  but  if  any  particular  trade 
should  suffer  by  too  great  competition,  the  Society  will  not  permit  a  new 
competitor  in  the  same  trade,  although  a  member  of  the  Society,  to  locate 
himself  in  the  place.  This  secures  to  all  a  competence."  The  same  love 
of  masic  in  their  worship — having  an  organ  and  a  full  band  of  instruments. 
The  grave-yard,  as  described  by  De  Stael.  The  bodies  of  the  dead  lie  in  a 
corpse  house  three  days  before  interment.  When  a  member  dies,  they 
have  a  peculiar  ceremony:  four  musicians  ascend  to  the  tower  of  the 
church  with  trumpets,  and  announce  the  event  by  performing  a  dirge 


SOCIETY   OF   UNITED   BRETHREN.  211 

take  the  conversion  of  the  Heathen  in  general  into  the  most 
earnest  consideration."  The  first  missionaries  went  to  St. 
Thomas,  an  island  in  the  West  Indies,  in  1732 ;  next  year 
to  Greenland,  and  in  1734,  a  party  of  Moravians,  who  had 
started  for  Georgia,  changed  their  minds  on  reaching  Holland, 
and  went  to  Pennsylvania.  Another  company  left  Herrnhut 
in  November,  1734,  and  on  the  invitation  of  the  Society  in 
England  for  propagating  the  Gospel,  proposed  to  emigrate  to 
Savannah.  Oglethorpe,  the  founder  of  Georgia,  had  previ 
ously  corresponded  with  Count  Zinzendorf,  and  been  liberal 
in  his  encouragement  of  the  Moravians.  A  free  passage ; 
provisions  in  Georgia  for  a  whole  season  ;  land  for  themselves 
and  their  children,  free  for  ten  years,  then  to  be  held  for  a 
small  quit-rent ;  the  privileges  of  native  Englishmen ;  free 
dom  of  worship — these  were  the  promises  made  by  the  trus 
tees  of  the  colony,  accepted  and  honorably  fulfilled.  Count 
Zinzendorf  dismissed  his  brethren  to  their  Georgia  destination, 
with  written  instructions,  in  which  he  particularly  recom 
mended,  that  they  should  submit  themselves  to  the  wise  di 
rection  and  guidance  of  God  in  all  circumstances,  seek  to 
preserve  liberty  of  conscience,  avoid  all  religious  disputes, 
and  always  keep  in  view  that  call,  given  unto  them  by  God 
himself,  to  preach  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  to  the  Heathen, 
and  further,  that  they  should  endeavor  as  much  as  possible 
to  earn  their  own  bread. 

According  to  Loskiel,  the  first  detachment  of  Moravians 
arrived  in  Georgia  in  the  spring  of  1735,  but  their  number 
was  increased  by  a  larger  company  during  the  summer. 
Before  embarking,  they  all  disclosed  to  the  trustees  their 
determination  not  to  engage  in  war,  and  received  a  pledge 
that  they  should  be  exempted  from  military  service. 

On  one  of  these  voyages,  probably  the  latter,  the  Wesleys, 


212  HISTOIIY    OF    OHIO. 

John  and  Charles,  emigrated  to  Savannah.  They  had  already 
attracted  attention  in  England  for  their  zealous  piety,  and 
were  induced  by  the  trustees  to  join  the  infant  colony — Charles 
as  secretary  to  Oglethorpe,  and  John  with  fervent  longings  to 
become  an  apostle  to  the  Indians.  "  Our  end  in  leaving  our 
native  country,"  said  they,  "  is  not  to  gain  riches  and  honor, 
but  singly  this — to  live  wholly  to  the  glory  of  God."  With  such 
sentiments,  their  attention  could  not  fail  to  be  drawn  to  the 
walk  and  conversation  of  their  Moravian  companions.  The 
journal  of  John  Wesley,  now  known  to  Christendom  as  the 
founder  of  a  numerous  sect,  contains  the  following  testi 
mony: 

"  I  had  long  before  observed  the  great  seriousness  of  their 
behavior.  Of  their  humility  they  had  given  a  continual 
proof  by  performing  those  servile  offices  for  the  other  passen 
gers,  which  none  of  the  English  would  undertake :  for 
which  they  desired  and  would  receive  no  pay,  saying,  'It  was 
good  for  their  proud  hearts,  and  their  Saviour  had  done  more 
for  them.'  And  every  day  had  given  them  occasion  oi  show 
ing  a  meekness  which  no  injury  could  move.  If  they  were 
pushed,  struck  or  thrown  down,  they  rose  again  and  went 
away ;  but  no  complaint  was  found  in  their  mouth.  There 
was  now  an  opportunity  of  trying  whether  they  were  deliv 
ered  from  the  spirit  of  fear,  as  well  as  from  that  of  pride,  anger 
and  revenge.  In  the  midst  of  the  psalm  wherewith  their 
service  began,  a  storm  arose,  the  sea  broke  over  us,  split  the 
mainsail  in  pieces,  covered  the  ship,  and  poured  in  between 
the  decks  as  if  the  great  deep  had  already  swallowed  us  up. 
A  terrible  screaming  began  among  the  English.  The  Ger 
mans  calmly  sang  on.  I  asked  one  of  them  afterwards,  c  Was 
you  not  afraid  ?'  He  answered,  'I  thank  God,  no  !'  I  asked, 
'  But  were  not  your  women  and  children  afraid  ?'  He  replied 


SOCIETY    OF   UNITED   BRETHREN.  218 

mildly,  c  No ;  our  women  and  children  are  not  afraid  to  die.' ' 
At  the  time  when  the  danger  seemed  most  imminent,  and 
the  vessel  was  expected  immediately  to  founder,  an  infant 
was  brought  to  Wesley  to  be  baptized.  "  It  put  me  in  mind," 
he  says,  "  of  Jeremiah's  buying  the  field  when  the  Chaldeans 
were  on  the  point  of  destroying  Jerusalem,  and  seemed  a 
pledge  of  the  mercy  God  designed  to  show  us  even  in  the 
land  of  the  living." 

Of  the  manners  of  the  Germans  in  Georgia,  Wesley  sub 
sequently  gives  this  representation  :  "  They  were  always 
employed,  always  cheerful  themselves,  and  in  good  humor 
with  one  another."  He  adds,  "  They  met  this  day  to  con 
sult  concerning  the  affairs  of  their  church ;  Mr.  Spangenburg 
being  shortly  to  go  to  Pennsylvania,  and  Bishop  Nitschman 
to  return  to  Germany.  After  several  hours  spent  in  confer 
ence  and  prayer,  they  proceeded  to  the  election  and  ordina 
tion  of  a  Bishop.  The  great  simplicity  as  well  as  solemnity  of 
the  whole  almost  made  me  forget  the  seventeen  hundred  years 
between,  and  imagine  myself  in  one  of  those  assemblies  where 
form  and  state  were  not,  but  Paul,  the  tent-maker,  or  Peter, 
the  fisherman,  presided  yet  with  the  demonstration  of  the 
Spirit  and  of  power." 

After  their  arrival,  a  spot  for  their  village  was  chosen  and 
called  Ebenezer.  "  In  a  few  years,  the  produce  of  raw  silk 
by  the  Germans  amounted  to  ten  thousand  pounds  a  year ;  and 
indigo  also  became  a  staple.  In  earnest  memorials,  they  long 
deprecated  the  employment  of  negro  slaves,  pleading  the 
ability  of  the  white  man  to  toil  even  under  the  suns  of  Georgia. 
Their  religious  affections  bound  them  together  in  the  unity  of 
brotherhood ;  their  controversies  were  decided  among  them 
selves  ;  every  event  of  life  had  its  moral,  and  the  fervor  of 
their  worship  never  disturbed  their  healthy  tranquillity  of 


214  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

judgment.  They  were  cheerful  and  at  peace."7  A  school 
house  for  the  children  of  the  Creek  nation  was  established — 
the  good  will  of  the  Indians  was  secured,  and  they  frequently 
came  to  hear  the  great  word,  as  they  expressed  it — the  Rev. 
Peter  Boehler,  of  the  University  of  Jena,  was  chosen  and 
ordained  minister  of  the  Georgia  colony,  in  1737,  and  arrived 
there  in  the  year  following,  and  everything  seemed  auspicious, 
until  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  with  the  Spaniards  subjected 
the  Moravians  to  peculiar  trials. 

In  1739,  war  was  declared  by  England  against  Spain. 
An  act  of  Parliament  was  passed  at  the  same  time  for  nat 
uralizing  all  foreign  Protestants  settled  in  any  of  the  British 
colonies  in  America.  If  this  act  was  meant  to  gratify  or 
retain  the  Moravian  settlers  in  Georgia,  its  efficacy  was  com 
pletely  defeated  by  the  contemporary  proceedings  of  the 
English  inhabitants  of  this  province.  About  a  year  before, 
when  a  provincial  force  was  hastily  assembled  to  encounter 
an  apprehended  invasion  of  the  Spaniards,  the  Moravians 
were  summoned  to  join  their  fellow-colonists  in  defending 
their  adopted  country.  This  summons  they  mildly  but 
firmly  refused  to  obey ;  declaring  that  no  human  power  or 
motive  could  induce  them  to  take  the  sword,  and  appealing 
to  the  pledge  they  had  received  from  the  trustees,  of  exemp 
tion  from  military  service.  The  magistrates  were  con 
strained  to  admit  the  force  of  the  appeal ;  but  so  much 
jealousy  and  displeasure  were  expressed  on  this  account  by 
the  bulk  of  the  planters  against  the  Moravians,  that  several 
of  these  sectaries,  unwilling  to  remain  among  a  people  in 
whom  their  presence  excited  unfriendly  sentiments,  abandoned 
the  province  and  retired  to  the  peaceful  domain  of  the  Qua 
kers  in  Pennsylvania,  where  already  a  numerous  society  of 

7)  Bancroft's  United  States. 


SOCIETY   OF   UNITED   BRETHREN.  215 

the  Moravian  brotherhood  was  collected.  The  rest,  under 
the  direction  of  their  pastor,  Boehler,  continued  to  reside  in 
Georgia ;  being  desirous  of  discharging  the  pecuniary  debt 
which  they  had  contracted  to  the  trustees,  and  unwilling  to 
forsake  their  missionary  labors.  But  in  the  present  year, 
they  again  received  a  summons  to  join  the  provincial  militia ; 
and  declining  to  resume  the  former  controversy,  they  bade 
farewell  to  Georgia,  surrendered  their  flourishing  plantations 
without  a  murmur,  and  reunited  themselves  to  their  brethren 
who  were  established  in  Pennsylvania.  One  of  their  number, 
John  Hagen,  returned  in  1740  to  Georgia,  at  the  request  of 
George  Whitefield,  for  the  purpose  of  prosecuting  the  work 
which  had  been  commenced  among  the  Creeks.  The  Indi 
ans  were  in  an  unfavorable  mood,  and,  according  to  Loskiel, 
Hagen,  "  finding  their  hearts  and  ears  shut  against  him,  and 
that  no  fruits  were  to  be  expected,  was  obliged  to  desist  and 
return  sometime  after  to  Pennsylvania."  Nevertheless, 
Georgia  was  not  entirely  abandoned  by  the  Moravians,  for 
in  1751,  when  the  original  prohibition  of  slavery  in  that  col 
ony  was  annulled,  Bancroft  represents  some  of  the  brethren 
as  "  acquiescing  "  in  the  change.  After  the  departure  of 
Oglethorpe,  he  says,  "  slavers  from  Africa  sailed  directly  to 
Savannah,  and  the  laws  against  them  were  not  rigidly 
enforced.  Whitefield,  who  believed  that  God's  Providence 
would  certainly  make  slavery  terminate  for  the  advantage  of 
the  Africans,  pleaded  before  the  trustees  in  its  favor,  as 
essential  to  the  prosperity  of  Georgia ;  even  the  poorest 
people  desired  the  change.  The  Moravians  still  expressed 
regret,  moved  partly  by  a  hatred  of  oppression,  and  partly 
by  antipathy  to  the  race  of  colored  men.  At  last,  they  too 
began  to  think  that  negro  slaves  might  be  employed  in  a 
Christian  spirit,  arid  it  was  agreed  that,  if  the  necroes  are 


216  HISTORY   OF  OHIO. 

treated  in  a  Christian  manner,  their  change  of  country  would 
prove  to  them  a  benefit.  A  message  from  Germany  served 
to  hush  their  scruples.  "  If  you  take  slaves  in  faith,  and 
with  the  intent  of  conducting  them  to  Christ,  the  action  will 
be  not  a  sin,  but  may  prove  a  benediction."8 

In  1739,  the  brethren  at  Herrnhut  resolved  to  extend 
their  missions  in  North  America.  An  incident  which  occur 
red  in  1736  served  to  animate  the  purpose  which  the  Mora 
vian  Society  in  Europe  had  cherished  for  some  time,  of 
attempting  the  instruction  of  the  Indians.  In  the  winter  of 
that  year  Conrad  Weisser,  a  Pennsylvanian  colonist  of  Ger 
man  descent,  and  interpreter  between  the  provincial  govern 
ment  and  the  Indians,  was  dispatched  by  the  Governor  of 
Pennsylvania  to  treat  with  the  Six  Nations  and  dissuade 
them  from  making  war,  which  they  wrere  preparing  to  do,  on 
an  Indian  tribe  within  the  territory  of  Virginia.  In  per 
forming  this  journey  of  nearly  five  hundred  miles,  Weisser, 
forcing  his  way  mostly  on  foot  through  deep  snow  and  thick 
forests,  was  nearly  exhausted  by  toil  and  hardship,  when  he 

8)  The  trustees,  at  the  outset,  adopted  a  rule  that  forbade  the  introduc 
tion  of  slaves.  Bancroft  quotes  some  pregnant  sentences  from  the  publi 
cations  of  1734  in  favor  of  this  feature  of  colonial  policy.  For  instance : 
"  Slavery,  the  misfortune,  if  not  the  dishonor  of  other  plantations,  is  abso 
lutely  proscribed.  Let  avarice  defend  it  as  it  will,  there  is  an  honest  reluc 
tance  in  humanity  against  buying  and  selling  and  regarding  those  of  our 
species  as  our  wealth  and  possessions."  "  The  name  of  slavery  is  here  un 
heard,  and  every  inhabitant  is  free  from  unchosen  masters  and  oppression." 
And  the  testimony  of  Ogelthorpe,  who  yet  had  once  been  willing  to  employ 
negroes,  and  once,  at  least,  ordered  the  sale  of  a  slave,  explains  the  motive 
of  the  prohibition.  "  Slavery,"  he  relates,  "  is  against  the  gospel,  as  well  as 
the  fundamental  law  of  England.  We  refused,  as  trustees,  to  make  a  law 
permitting  such  a  horrid  crime."  "  The  purchase  of  negroes  is  forbidden," 
wrote  Van  Reck,  "  on  account  of  the  vicinity  of  the  Spaniards : "  and  this 
was  doubtless  the  governmental  view.  The  colony  was  also  "AN  ASYLUM 
TO  RECEIVE  THE  DISTRESSED.  It  was  necessary,  therefore,  not  to  permit 
slaves  in  such  a  country ;  for  slaves  STARVE  THE  POOR  LABORER." 


SOCIETY    OF   UNITED    BRETHREN.  217 

met  two  Indians,  who  exhorted  him  not  to  be  faint,  but  to 
take  courage — adding  that  the  sufferings  endured  by  a  man 
in  his  mortal  body  cleansed  the  imperishable  soul  from  sin. 
On  his  return,  Weisser  related  this  occurrence  to  Spangen- 
berg,  a  Moravian  Bishop,  by  whom  it  was  reported  to  his 
brethren  in  Europe.  They  were  greatly  struck  with  it,  and 
determined  to  spare  no  pains  to  instruct  those  blind  but 
thinking  heathens  in  the  knowledge  of  a  better  way  to  that 
expiation  of  which  they  obscurely  felt  the  necessity,  and 
impart  to  them  the  experience  of  the  only  fountain  capable 
of  cleansing  the  human  soul  from  sin. 

Ranch,  a  Moravian  missionary,  arriving  at  New  York  from 
Europe,  in  the  year  1740,  commenced  a  course  of  apostolic 
labor  among  the  Mohican  Indians  inhabiting  the  borders  of 
Connecticut  and  New  York.  The  sachem,  or  chief  of  the 
tribe,  declared  of  himself  and  his  people,  that  they  were  all 
helplessly  sunk  in  misery,  drunkenness  and  every  vice  arid 
crime  that  could  defile  and  degrade  human  nature  ;  and 
protested  that  the  missionary  would  confer  an  inexpressible 
benefit  upon  them  if  he  could  teach  them  how  to  lead  a 
wiser  and  happier  life.  They  listened  with  profound  aston 
ishment  to  the  first  promulgation  of  the  doctrines  of  Chris 
tianity,  but  soon  rejected  them  with  unanimous  derision. 
Ranch,  however,  was  not  to  be  discouraged ;  he  persisted  in 
his  pious  labors  without  any  other  visible  fruit  except  in 
creased  unpopularity  and  ridicule  among  the  Indians ;  till 
one  day  the  chief,  who  was  himself  the  worst  man  of  the 
tribe,  earnestly  requested  him  once  more  to  explain  how  the 
blood  of  a  Divine  Redeemer  could  possibly  expiate  and  oblit 
erate  the  defilement  of  the  human  soul.  Ranch  declared 
that  the  most  valuable  gift  in  the  world  could  not  have 
afforded  him  a  gratification  comparable  to  the  delight  with 
10 


218  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

which  that  question  inspired  him.  He  who  so  felt  was  formed 
to  conquer  in  this  glorious  and  happy  field.  Appearances 
of  mental  conversion  and  a  considerable  reformation  of  man 
ners  ensued  among  the  tribe.  But  now  was  aroused  the 
jealousy  of  a  numerous  band  of  European  traders,  who 
derived  a  guilty  gain  from  the  dependence  to  which  the 
savages  were  reduced  by  their  vices  and  poverty.  Some  of 
them  threatened  to  shoot  Ranch  if  he  remained  longer  in 
the  country;  others  assured  the  Indians  that  the  missionary's 
instructions  tended  to  delude  them,  and  that  his  real  purpose 
was  to  carry  their  children  beyond  seas  and  sell  them  for 
slaves.  The  abused  and  ignorant  people,  as  credulous  of 
this  falsehood  as  they  had  been  slow  to  believe  divine  truth, 
began  to  regard  the  missionary  with  rage  and  detestation, 
and  meanwhile  were  copiously  supplied  with  strong  liquor  by 
those  perfidious  counsellors,  for  the  purpose  of  exciting  them 
to  wreak  their  erring  fury  on  their  benefactor. 

Ranch  overcame  this  opposition  by  a  wisdom  and  virtue 
equal  to  every  emergency.  He  softened  the  resentment  of 
some  of  the  white  settlers  and  traders  by  the  mild  courtesy 
of  his  manners,  and  gained  the  protection  of  one  of  them  by 
teaching  his  children  to  read  and  write.  To  the  Indians  he 
behaved  with  an  unabated  tenderness  and  confidence,  which 
powerfully  appealed  to  their  remaining  virtue — to  that  sense 
of  good  which  is  never  wholly  obliterated  while  human  life 
endures.  They  were  struck  with  the  new  proof  which  he 
afforded  of  the  efficacy  of  the  principles  which  he  had 
preached,  in  shielding  their  professor  from  evil  and  fear,  and 
rendering  him  always  secure  and  happy ;  they  were  aston 
ished  that  a  man,  whom  they  studiously  endeavored  to  insult 
by  contumely,  and  terrify  by  menace,  should  persist  in  fol 
lowing  them  with  patience,  benedictions,  tears,  and  every 


KOCII/J'Y    OF    UNITED    BRETHREN.  219 

other  demonstration  of  affectionate  and  disinterested  regard ; 
and  one  of  them,  who  had  made  an  attempt  to  take  the  mis 
sionary's  life,  contemplating  him  as  he  lay  stretched  in  placid 
slumber  on  the  floor  of  the  Indian's  own  hut,  was  constrained 
to  acknowledge  to  himself,  "  This  cannot  be  a  bad  man ;  he 
fears  no  evil ;  not  even  from  us  wTho  are  so  savage ;  but  sleeps 
comfortably,  and  places  his  life  in  our  hands."  The  Indians 
at  length  became  generally  convinced  that  evil  could  not  be 
meditated  by  a  man  who  was  himself  so  completely  exempted 
from  the  suspicion  of  it ;  his  influence  was  restored  and  aug 
mented,  and  his  ministry  attended  with  happy  eifects.  All 
the  Moravian  missionaries  were  charged  by  their  ecclesiastical 
superiors  to  study  rather  the  confirmation  of  the  faith  than 
the  increase  of  the  numbers  of  professed  converts.  Ranch's 
first  congregation  consisted  of  ten  baptized  Indians,  whose 
devotion,  simple  yet  profound,  enthusiastic  yet  sincere  and 
sustained,  excited  the  grateful  delight  of  their  pastor  and  his 
associates,  and  the  wonder  and  admiration  of  the  wildest  of 
the  surrounding  savages.  Meanwhile,  from  the  increasing 
resort  of  members  of  the  Moravian  brotherhood  to  Pennsyl 
vania,  there  were  formed  the  principal  settlements  of  the 
society  at  places  which  obtained  the  names  of  Nazareth  and 
Bethlehem  ;  and  from  which,  with  all  convenient  speed,  mis 
sionaries,  animated  with  the  same  spirit  as  Ranch,  carried 
the  benefit  of  their  instructions  and  example  among  the  Del 
aware  Indians,  with  the  usual  varieties  of  success  which  ever 
attend  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  and  which  are  far  more 
strikingly  manifested  in  tribes  and  nations  to  which  the  tidings 
are  delivered  for  the  first  time  than  in  societies  which  have 
been  long  nominally  christianized,  and  where  habit  blunts 
the  force  of  impressions  and  veils  the  significance  of  language. 
In  the  year  1742,  Count  Zinzendorf,  who  was  chief  bishop 


220  HISTORY   OF    OHIO. 

or  warden  of  the  society  of  Moravian  brethren,  having  visited 
their  settlements  in  America,9  traveled,  along  with  Conrad 
Weisser,  Peter  Boehler,  and  other  associates,  into  the  Indian 
territories  and  preached  to  a  great  variety  of  tribes.  Some 
of  the  fiercest  warriors  of  the  Six  Nations,  who,  from  a  recent 
quarrel  among  themselves,  had  been  roused  to  a  state  of  high 
and  dangerous  excitement  at  the  time  when  he  casually  met 
them,  were  exceedingly  struck  with  the  mixture  of  simplicity, 
authority  and  benevolence  that  characterized  his  address  to 
them,  and  after  some  consultation,  thus  replied  to  it:  — 
"  Brother,  you  have  made  a  long  voyage  over  the  seas,  to 
preach  to  the  white  people  and  to  the  Indians.  You  did 
not  know  that  we  were  here,  and  ive  knew  nothing  of  you. 
This  proceeds  from  above.  Come,  therefore,  to  us,  both  you 
and  your  brethren  ;  we  bid  you  welcome,  and  take  this  fathom 
of  wampum  in  confirmation  of  the  truth  of  our  words." 
After  a  short  but  successful  ministry  in  America,  Zinzendorf 
returned  to  Europe  in  1743,  leaving  a  numerous  and  increas 
ing  body  of  missionaries  to  pursue  the  labors  thus  felicitously 
begun.  It  was  a  rule  with  these  missionaries  to  earn  their 
own  livelihood  by  bodily  labor  for  behoof  of  the  objects  of 
their  pious  concern  ;  and  this  rule  their  Christian  moderation 
enabled  them  generally  to  practice,  although  their  savage 
employers  could  afford  only  a  slender  recompense  of  their 
toil ;  but  whenever  they  could  not  subsist  in  this  manner, 
they  were  supplied  with  the  necessaries  of  life  by  the  society 
at  Bethlehem.  They  lived  and  dressed  in  the  Indian  style  ; 
and  one  of  them,  Frederick  Post,  did  not  scruple  to  marry 
a  baptized  Indian  woman.  In  addition  to  the  inevitable 

9)  Zinzendorf  was  accompanied  in  his  tour  of  the  Indian  villages  by  his 
daughter  Bcnigna — a  word  worth  preserving,  perhaps,  by  those  who  think 
that  there  is  virtue  in  a  name. 


SOCIETY    Oi'    UMTED    LKET1I11EN.  22 

drudgery  and  privation  which  they  incurred,  they  were  fre 
quently  exposed  to  insult  and  danger  from  the  savages  who 
rejected  the  boon  of  the  gospel  with  contempt,  and  heard  its 
testimony  against  the  corruption  of  human  nature  with  indig 
nation.  Gideon  Mack,  one  of  the  missionaries,  having  been 
waylaid  by  an  Indian  who  presented  his  gun  and  desired 
him  to  prepare  to  die,  for  insulting  the  Indians  by  talking 
perpetually  of  their  need  of  Christ,  replied  calmly,  "  If  Christ 
does  not  permit  you,  you  cannot  shoot  me."  The  savage, 
struck  with  the  language  and  demeanor  of  his  intended  vic 
tim,  dropped  his  gun,  retired  in  silence,  and  soon  after 
embraced  the  faith  which,  he  perceived,  was  calculated  to 
form  the  highest  style  of  character. 

A  curious  objection,  which  reminds  us  of  incidents  and 
reproaches  that  attended  the  first  promulgation  of  the  gospel 
upon  earth,  was  raised  by  some  Indians,  who,  observing  their 
friends  greatly  moved  by  the  discourses  of  the  missionaries, 
exclaimed  that  these  men  must  be  sorcerers,  and  in  league 
with  evil  spirits,  for  that  nothing  but  magic  could  produce 
such  effects.  The  most  formidable  opposition  was  created 
by  a  number  of  white  traders,  who  were  concerned  at  the 
influence  which  the  missionaries  exerted  in  persuading  the 
savages  to  abstain  from  purchasing  the  spirituous  liquors,  to 
avoid  contracting  debts,  and  to  exchange  hunting  for  agricul 
ture.  They  were  aided  by  some  weak  and  ignorant  or  bigoted 
colonists  of  New  York  and  New  England,  who  looked  on  the 
Moravian  society  as  a  branch  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  and 
were  convinced  that  the  spread  of  their  tenets  and  influence 
would  promote  the  interests  of  France  among  the  Indian 
race.  Several  of  the  missionaries  were  seized  as  Homan 
Catholic  teachers  by  the  inhabitants  of  Connecticut,  aiid  de 
tained  in  custody  some  days,  till  they  were  liberated  by 


2'2'2  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

command  of  the  provincial  governor.  But  in  New  York, 
which  abounded  with  traders,  hostile  to  the  conversion  of  the 
Indians,  and  contained  a  number  of  clergymen  and  laymen 
devoted  exclusively  to  the  Church  of  England,  the  opposition 
grew  daily  stronger,  and  was  inflamed  by  the  fluctuating 
politics  of  the  Six  Nations.  Some  of  the  colonists  assured 
their  savage  neighbors  that  the  Moravian  brethren  were  not 
legally  entitled  to  undertake  the  pastoral  office  which  they 
exercised — a  statement  which  the  Indians  were  totally  unable 
to  comprehend ;  others,  and  especially  certain  persons  en 
gaged  in  the  Indian  trade,  attempted  to  debauch  the  new 
converts  and  seduce  them  to  resume  the  vices  they  had  for 
saken  ;  and  the  provincial  magistrates  committed  several  of 
the  missionaries  to  prison,  as  enemies  of  the  British  govern 
ment  and  corrupters  of  its  Indian  allies.  The  most  respec 
table  inhabitants  of  the  province,  who  had  at  first  imbibed 
prejudices  against  the  missionaries,  were  speedily  disabused, 
and  not  only  encouraged  them  to  persevere  in  their  useful 
labors,  but  openly  declared  of  them,  that  they  were,  of  all 
men,  the  best  instruments  of  the  security  of  the  colonists 
and  the  happiness  of  the  Indians.  At  length,  however,  in 
consequence  of  a  report  that  a  number  of  the  Indian  converts 
had  wholly  detached  themselves  from  their  previous  friendly 
connection  with  Britain,  the  public  rage  was  kindled  to  such 
a  pitch  that  an  act  of  the  New  York  Assembly  was  passed, 
prohibiting  any  member  of  the  Moravian  society  from  preach 
ing  or  residing  among  the  tribes  connected  with  the  province. 
This  policy  was  little  calculated  to  soothe  or  conciliate  the 
Indians,  who  had  generally  conceived  a  high  regard  for  the 
missionaries — of  whom  some  now  quitted  the  province,  and 
others,  lingering  in  it  with  the  hope  of  being  yet  permitted 
to  resume  their  pious  labors,  were  afterwards  thrown  into 


SOCIETY    OF    UNITED    BRETHREN.  223 

prison  and  treated  with  great  severity.  The  Indians  who 
seemed  most  attached  to  them,  became  the  objects  of  a  strong 
aversion  and  jealousy  to  many  of  the  colonists,  who  loudly 
and  fiercely  importuned  the  government  to  send  troops  to 
destroy  them.  Not  long  after  the  departure  of  the  mission 
aries,  a  number  of  converted  Indians  of  the  confederacy  of 
the  Six  Nations,  forsaking  their  country  and  kindred,  fol 
lowed  their  teachers  to  Pennsylvania,  and  established  them 
selves  at  Bethlehem. 

In  the  mean  time,  and  for  several  years  after,  Spangenberg, 
Nitchsman,  Cammerhoff,  and  a  great  many  other  pastors  sup 
plied  by  the  Moravian  brotherhood,  were  actively  and  suc 
cessfully  engaged  in  proselyting  and  civilizing  the  savage 
tribes  adjacent  to  the  colonial  settlements  of  Pennsylvania, 
Delaware  and  New  Jersey.  They  collected  various  Indian 
societies,  in  which  the  duties  of  morality  were  practised,  the 
habits  of  civilized  life  studied  and  pursued,  and  the  profession 
of  Christianity  embraced  with  a  sincerity  which  was  tried  and 
attested  by  severe  suffering  and  patient  virtue.  The  Indian 
converts  and  their  children  were  taught  to  read;  and  some 
portions  of  the  Christian  Scriptures  were  translated  into 
various  dialects  of  the  Indian  tongue.  So  far  from  pretend 
ing  to  any  superiority  over  their  converts,  the  missionaries 
appeared  at  once  their  teachers  and  their  servants  ;  and  at 
all  the  settlements,  not  only  participated  in  their  rural  labors, 
but  appropriated  to  themselves  the  heaviest  part  of  every 
drudgery,  in  consideration  of  the  incompetence  of  Indian 
constitutions  for  steady  and  continuous  toil.  The  progress 
of  these  beneficent  exertions  wras  interrupted  by  the  outbreak 
of  the  last  war  with  France,  and  by  the  ravages  which  the 
Indian  allies  of  the  French  inflicted  on  the  borders  of  Penn 
sylvania.  Many  of  the  Pennsylvania  colonists  were  progres- 


224  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

sively  incensed  to  such  a  degree,  by  the  devastation  of  their 
country,  the  massacre  of  their  friends,  and  the  danger  of  their 
families,  that  they  conceived  an  incurable  hatred  and  jeal 
ousy  against  the  whole  Indian  race. 

A  sect  of  fanatics  sprung  up  in  Pennsylvania  about  the 
year  1755,  who  clamorously  demanded  the  total  extirpation 
of  the  aboriginal  tribes,  lest  the  vengeance  of  Heaven  should 
fall  upon  the  Christians  for  not  destroying  the  heathen,  as  the 
Israelites  by  divine  command  had  been  directed  to  destroy 
the  Canaanites  of  old.  The  general  delusion  was  increased 
by  the  publication  of  a  letter,  which  was  said  to  have  been 
intercepted  by  the  British  forces,  purporting  to  have  been 
written  by  a  French  officer  at  Quebec  to  one  of  his  friends, 
and  extolling  the  Moravian  brethren  as  the  secret  partizans 
and  useful  agents  of  France.  This  letter,  whether  the 
offspring  of  French  or  of  English  artifice,  produced  all  the 
effect  that  its  fabricators  designed.  A  universal  cry  was 
raised  through  the  British  colonies  that  the  Moravian  settlers 
were  snaJces  in  the  grass,  and  the  most  dangerous  because  the 
most  perfidious  enemies  of  Britain.  The  persons  and  settle 
ments  of  these  calumniated  men,  in  Pennsylvania,  were  now 
exposed  to  the  greatest  danger ;  and  the  provincial  govern 
ment,  though  sincerely  inclined  to  protect  them,  was  evidently 
incapable  of  withstanding  the  headlong  rage  with  which  the 
great  body  of  the  people  imprecated  vengeance  on  the  Mora 
vian  brethren  and  their  Indian  flocks.  The  mildness  and 
patience  with  which  this  injustice  was  endured  by  the  objects 
of  it  was  insufficient  to  quell  the  popular  fury,  which  was  on 
the  point  of  venting  itself  in  some  notable  outrage,  when,  to 
the  general  surprise,  a  sudden  attack  was  made  by  the  Indian 
allies  of  France  on  a  Moravian  settlement,  situated  near  Ma- 
honing  creek,  (a  small  tributary  of  the  Lehigh  river,  and  not 


SOCIETY   OF   UNITED    BRETHREN. 

far  from  Bethlehem,)  in  which  a  number  of  the  brethren  and 
of  their  Indian  associates  were  slain.  This  circumstance, 
concurring  with  the  willingness  of  some  of  the  Moravian  set 
tlers  to  prepare  for  defensive  war  against  the  enemy,  and  the 
liberal  contributions  of  others  to  relieve  the  wants  of  their  fel 
low-colonists,  who  had  suffered  from  hostile  rage,  produced  a 
great  and  sudden  abatement  of  the  public  jealousy  and  dis 
pleasure.  The  blessings  of  tranquillity  and  security  were  now 
enjoyed  in  the  Moravian  settlements  till  the  year  1703,  when 
all  the  hatred  and  fear  that  the  Indian  race  had  ever  excited 
in  Pennsylvania,  were  revived  with  augmented  violence  by 
the  great  Indian  war  which  broke  out  at  that  period,  and  the 
dreadful  desolation  of  the  frontiers  of  this  province  which 
attended  the  first  explosion  of  its  fury.  A  general  attack 
was  now  projected  by  a  great  number  of  the  inhabitants  on  the 
Indian  inhabitants  of  the  province,  of  whom  many  were  forced 
to  fly ;  some  were  conveyed  to  Philadelphia  by  order  of  the 
government,  which  tendered  its  protection,  and  some  were 
cruelly  slain. 

Near  the  Susquehanna,  and  at  no  great  distance  from  the 
town  of  Lancaster,  was  a  spot  known  as  the  Manor  of  Cones- 
toga,  where  a  small  band  of  Indians,  chiefly  of  Iroquois 
blood,  had  been  seated  from  the  first  settlement  of  the 
province,  and  always  remained  on  good  terms  with  the  Eng 
lish.  On  the  east  bank  of  the  river,  some  distance  above 
Conestoga,  stood  the  town  of  Paxton,  which  had  been  devas 
tated  by  the  Indians  in  1755.  The  relatives  of  those  slain 
at  that  time  rebuilt  the  village,  but  were  inimical  to  the  race 
of  their  persecutors,  and  suspicious  of  the  band  at  Conestoga. 
They  organized  into  a  body  of  rangers,  and  were  active  in 
defending  the  borders.  At  length,  deeming  their  suspicions 
confirmed,  they  fell  upon  the  Conestoga  Indians,  arid  a  horrid 


226  HISTORY  OF  OHIO. 

massacre  ensued,  the  victims  being  principally  women  and 
children.  Those  who  by  absence  escaped  the  fury  of  the 
Paxton  men,  fled  to  Lancaster,  and  were  placed  in  jail  for 
security,  which  was  broken  open  soon  after  by  a  party  of  the 
assassins,  and  the  butchery  completed.  The  provincial 
authorities  were  impotent  to  prevent  or  redress  these  out 
rages,  and  the  Moravians  next  became  objects  of  distrust  and 
persecution. 

About  three  months  before  the  massacre  at  Conestoga,  a 
party  of  drunken  rangers,  fired  by  the  general  resentment 
against  the  Moravian  Indians,  murdered  several  of  them, 
both  men  and  women,  whom  they  found  sleeping  in  a  barn. 
Not  long  after,  the  same  party  of  rangers  were,  in  their  turn, 
surprised  and  killed,  some  peaceful  settlers  of  the  neighbor 
hood  sharing  their  fate.  This  act  was  at  once  ascribed, 
justly  or  unjustly,  to  the  vengeance  of  the  converted  Indians, 
relatives  of  the  murdered ;  and  the  frontier  people,  who,  like 
the  Paxton  men,  were  chiefly  Scotch  and  Irish  Presbyterians, 
resolved  that  the  objects  of  their  suspicion  should  live  no 
longer.  At  this  time  the  Moravian  converts  consisted  of  two 
communities,  those  of  Nainand  Wecquetank,  near  the  Lehigh, 
and  to  these  may  be  added  a  third,  at  Wyalusing,  near  Wyo 
ming.  The  latter,  from  its  distant  situation,  was,  for  the 
present,  safe  ;  but  the  two  former  were  in  imminent  peril, 
and  the  inhabitants  in  mortal  terror  for  their  lives,  stood  day 
and  night  on  the  watch. 

At  length,  about  the  tenth  of  October,  1764,  a  gang  of 
armed  men  approached  Wecquetank,  and  encamped  in  the 
woods  at  no  great  distance.  They  intended  to  make  their 
attack  under  favor  of  the  darkness  ;  but  before  evening, 
a  storm,  which  to  the  missionaries  seemed  providential,  de 
scended  with  such  violence,  that  the  fires  of  the  hostile  camp 


SOCIETY    OF    UNITED    BRETHREN.  "227 

were  extinguished  in  a  moment,  the  ammunition  of  the  men 
wet,  and  the  plan  defeated. 

After  so  narrow  an  escape,  it  was  apparent  that  flight  was 
the  only  resource.  The  terrified  congregation  at  Wecque- 
tank  broke  up  on  the  following  day,  and  under  the  charge 
of  their  missionary,  Bernard  Grube,  removed  to  the  Mora 
vian  town  of  Nazareth,  where  it  was  hoped  they  might  remain 
in  safety. 

By  order  of  the  provincial  assembly,  the  Christian  Indians 
were  removed  to  Philadelphia,  as  the  last  means  to  secure 
their  protection.  Their  total  number,  including  the  mission 
aries,  was  about  one  hundred  and  forty.  Insulted  by  the 
populace  and  soldiery,  the  unfortunate  exiles  only  found  sym 
pathy  and  kindness  from  the  Quakers.  Attended  by  these 
kindred  sectarians,  the  Moravians  and  converts  proceeded  to 
Province  Island  below  the  city,  where  they  were  lodged  in 
some  deserted  barracks,  and  their  wants  provided  for,  by  the 
authorities  and  the  society  of  Friends. 

Immediately  after  the  Conestoga  murders  at  Lancaster 
jail,  which  did  not  take  place  until  some  weeks  after  the 
removal  of  the  Moravian  converts  to  Philadelphia,  the  rioters 
prepared  to  march  upon  the  city  and  finish  their  work  by 
killing  the  Indians  whom  it  had  taken  under  its  protection. 
Such  was  the  consternation  that  it  was  determined  to  send 
the  refugees  to  New  York,  and  place  them  under  the  protec 
tion  of  the  Indian  Superintendent,  Sir  William  Johnson. 
Passing  through  Trenton,  they  reached  Amboy,  when  a 
message  was  received  from  Governor  Golden,  of  New  York, 
forbidding  the  Indians  to  come  to  that  province.  Similar 
letters  were  received  from  Gen.  Gage  and  the  city  authori 
ties,  the  latter  threatening  heavy  penalties  to  the  owners  of 
vessels  if  they  should  transport  the  Indians  from  New  Jersey. 


228  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

Thus  disappointed  in  their  hopes  of  escape,  the  hapless 
Indians  remained  several  days  lodged  in  the  barracks  at 
Amboy,  where  they  passed  much  of  their  time  in  religious 
services.  A  message,  however,  soon  came  from  the  Governor 
of  New  Jersey,  requiring  them  to  leave  that  province  ;  and 
they  were  compelled  reluctantly  to  retrace  their  steps  to 
Philadelphia.  A  detachment  of  one  hundred  and  seventy 
soldiers  had  arrived,  sent  by  Gen.  Gage,  on  the  requisition 
of  Governor  Pcnn ;  and  under  the  protection  of  these  troops 
the  exiles  began  their  backward  journey.  On  the  24th  of 
January  they  reached  Philadelphia,  where  they  were  lodged 
at  the  barracks  within  the  city,  the  soldiers,  forgetful  of  for 
mer  prejudices,  no  longer  refusing  them  entrance. 

Again  came  tidings  of  danger  from  the  country,  and  vigo 
rous  preparations  for  defence  were  made,  even  Quaker  non- 
resistance  yielding  to  the  imminence  of  the  occasion.  The 
insurgents  having  advanced  to  Germantown,  within  seven 
miles  of  Philadelphia,  Governor  Penn  fled  for  safety  and 
counsel  to  the  house  of  Dr.  Franklin  ;  and  Pennsylvania 
seemed  to  be  on  the  brink  of  civil  war.  Franklin,  however, 
and  some  other  popular  individuals,  undertook  to  meet  and 
expostulate  with  the  insurgents ;  and  in  the  conference  that 
ensued,  exerted  their  sense,  address  and  influence  so  effectu 
ally  as  to  prevail  with  them  to  relinquish  their  ferocious 
purpose  and  return  to  their  homes.  To  improve  this  happy 
success,  Franklin  immediately  after  composed  and  published 
a  pamphlet  in  defence  of  the  Indians,  which  produced  a  con 
siderable  effect  in  soothing  the  passions  of  his  countrymen 
and  restoring  tranquillity. 

From  the  year  1763,  till  the  revolt  of  America  from  the 
dominion  of  Britain,  no  general  or  considerable  opposition 
resisted  the  exertions  of  the  Moravian  brethren  to  dissemi- 


SOCIETY    OF   UNITED    BRETHREN.  229 

natc  among  the  objects  of  their  care  the  principles,  habits, 
and  benefits  of  piety,  morality  and  civilization.  The  chief 
settlements  were  Bethlehem  and  Nazareth,  in  the  county  of 
Northampton,  where  their  modes  of  life  and  worship  still 
attract  the  attention  of  the  traveler.  Here  and  at  Litiz,  a 
beautiful  Moravian  village,  eight  miles  north  of  Lancaster, 
are  institutions  for  the  instruction  of  girls,  which  have  been 
long  and  justly  celebrated.  We  are  not  aware  that  any 
other  Moravian  communities,  preserving  the  peculiarities 
described  so  attractively  by  Madame  de  Stael,  have  survived 
on  tliis  continent  except  at  these  three  villages.  Bethlehem 
was  first  settled  in  1740,  Nazareth  soon  after,  and  Litiz 
in  1750. 

To  return  to  the  Moravian  traditions  prior  to  the  revolu 
tion.  The  counties  of  Carbon,  Lehigh,  Schuylkill  and  Nor 
thumberland  lie  west  of  Bethlehem,  and  within  their  limits, 
as  now  delineated  on  the  map,  were  numerous  Moravian 
missionary  stations  between  1745  and  1765.  These  were 
the  principal  sufferers  during  the  tumults  of  1764,  which 
have  just  been  described.  The  settlement  of  Nain  was  about 
a  mile  from  Bethlehem,  and  Wecquetank,  described  above  as 
near  the  Lehigh,  is  supposed  to  have  been  situated  near  the 
eastern  corner  of  Schuylkill  county,  on  the  border  of  Carbon. 
Gnadenhutten,  settled  in  1746,  was  in  Carbon  county,  about 
half  a  mile  above  the  junction  of  Mahoning  creek  and  the 
Lehigh  River.  Here  the  first  murder  of  Moravians  took 
place.  Still  further  west,  at  Shamokin,  now  Sunbury,  in 
Northumberland  county,  was  a  station  in  1747.  It  is  sup 
posed  that  none  of  these  are  now  in  existence. 

The  Wyalusing  station  is  even  more  closely  related  to  our 
Ohio  mission  than  those  already  enumerated.  It  was  estab 
lished  bv  /joisberger,  in  1763,  and  was  called  Friedenshutten 


230  HISTORY    OP    OHIO. 

or  Tents  of  Peace.  The  site  was  on  the  Susquehanna  river, 
in  Bradford  county,  and  near  the  southern  border  of  New 
York.  The  Iroquois  gave  permission  to  occupy  even  a  larger 
tract  of  land  than  was  desired,  but  soon  after,  in  17G8,  sold 
the  whole  country  to  Pennsylvania.  At  length,  in  1772,  the 
entire  community  moved  to  the  station  on  the  Beaver  River, 
and  thence,  after  a  few  days,  proceeded  to  Shocnbrun,  on 
the  Muskingum.  They  were  accompanied  by  Rev.  John 
Ettwein  and  Rev.  John  Heckewelder — the  veteran  Zeisberger 
having  gone  to  the  Beaver  to  escort  the  party.  The  hospi 
table  Delawares  were  informed  of  the  arrival  of  the  Susque 
hanna  party,  and  the  brethren  were  congratulated,  in  full 
council,  with  all  the  ceremony  of  Indian  compliment. 

The  wandering  settlement  of  western  Pennsylvania  is  even 
more  closely  related  to  the  colony  at  Shoenbrun.  In  17G8, 
Zeisberger  penetrated  to  a  spot  in  the  now  county  of  Ve- 
nango,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Alleghany,  not  far  from  the 
mouth  of  Tiouesta.  Here  the  mission  of  Goshgoshunk  was 
established,  but  soon  after  removed  to  fifteen  miles  further  up, 
near  Hickory  town.  There  was  a  Delaware  village,  forty 
miles  north  of  Pittsburgh,  in  what  is  Butler  county,  called 
Kaskaskunk,  where  resided  Glikhikan,  who  became  first  the 
friend  of  the  Moravians,  and  afterwards  a  convert  to  Chris 
tianity.  On  his  first  interview  with  Zeisberger,  he  was 
struck  by  the  fulfillment  of  a  vision,  which  occurred  to  him 
years  before.  He  had  dreamed  that  he  came  to  a  place 
where  a  number  of  Indians  were  assembled  in  a  large  room. 
They  wore  their  hair  plain,  and  had  no  rings  in  their  noses. 
In  the  midst  of  them,  he  discovered  a  short  white  man,  and 
the  Indians  beckoning  to  him  to  come  in.  He  entered,  and 
was  presented  by  the  white  man  with  a  book,  who  desired 
him  to  read.  On  his  replying,  "I  cannot  read,"  the  white 


SOCIETY   OF   UNITED    BRETHREN.  231 

man  said :  "After  you  have  been  with  us  some  time  you  will 
learn  to  read  it."  From  this  time  he  frequently  told  his 
hearers  that  there  were  certainly  white  people  somewhere, 
who  knew  the  right  way  to  God,  for  he  had  seen  them  in  a 
dream.  Therefore,  when  he  came  hither,  and  saw  the  Indi 
ans  and  the  short  white  man,  Brother  Zeisberger,  exactly 
answering  to  the  figure  of  him  he  saw  in  his  dream,  he  was 
much  astonished.  He  now  frequently  went  to  Lawunakhan- 
nek,  the  mission  where  Zeisberger  and  his  converted  Dela- 
wares  were,  and  conversed  earnestly  with  the  brethren." 
Heckeweldcr  says  (Narrative,  p.  109)  that  the  name  of  the 
chief  signified  "the  stud  or  foremost  sight  of  a  gun-barrel; 
that  he  was  admired  and  dreaded  by  all  who  knew  him,  on 
account  of  his  superior  courage  as  a  warrior,  for  his  talents 
in  council,  and  his  unequaled  manner  of  delivering  himself  as 
a  natural  orator  or  speaker." 

Glikhikan  was  influential,  and  the  missionaries  were  invi 
ted,  in  1770,  to  come  to  the  Big  Beaver,  whither  they  went 
in  April  of  that  year,  settling  about  twenty  miles  from  its 
mouth.  About  this  time,  Glikhikan  left  Kaskaskunk,  (about 
forty  miles  north  of  Pittsburgh)  and,  avowing  himself  a 
Christian  convert,  henceforth  lived  with  the  brethren.  The 
new  station  on  the  Beaver  was  called  Friedenstadt,  the  town 
of  Peace,  whither  the  new  disciple  came.  An  old  Delaware 
chief,  Pakanke,  to  whom  Glikhikan  had  been  chief  captain 
and  speaker,  was  greatly  concerned  at  this  defection.  Meet 
ing  the  latter  soon  afterwards,  he  railed  as  follows  :  "And 
even  you  have  gone  over  from  this  council  to  them.  I  sup 
pose  you  mean  to  get  a  white  skin.  But  I  tell  you,  not  even 
one  of  your  feet  will  turn  white,  much  less  your  body.  Was 
you  not  a  brave  and  honored  man,  sitting  next  to  me  in 
council,  when  we  spread  the  blanket  and  considered  the  belts 


232  HISTORY  OF  OHIO. 

of  wampum  lying  before  us.  Now  you  pretend  to  despise 
all  this,  and  think  to  have  found  something  better.  Some 
time  or  other  you  will  find  yourself  deceived."  Glikhikan 
made  but  a  short  and  meek  reply,  and  his  accuser  afterwards 
was  so  much  mollified,  by  a  current  superstition,  that  hostility 
to  the  missionaries  was  the  cause  of  an  epidemic  sickness 
among  his  people,  that  he  went  to  hear  the  brethren  preach, 
declared  his  conviction  and  recommended  his  children  to 
receive  the  gospel.  Glikhikan  was  baptized  by  the  name  of 
Isaac,  and  was  henceforth  very  prominent  in  the  history  of 
the  Ohio  mission. 

In  1773,  the  Christian  Indians  on  the  Beaver  River  re 
solved  also  to  emigrate  to  Ohio,  and  on  the  13th  of  April,  the 
village  of  Freidenstadt  was  evacuated,  one  part  of  the  con 
gregation  traveling  across  the  country  by  land,  and  the  other, 
led  by  John  Heckewclder,  descending  the  Big  Beaver  and 
Ohio,  and  ascending  the  Muskingum  to  Shoenbrun  in  twenty- 
two  canoes. 

The  first  settlement  by  Zeisberger  consisted  of  twenty- 
eight  persons  ;  the  emigration  from  the  Susquehanna  was  two 
hundred  and  forty-one  in  number ;  and  if  we  suppose  the 
population  of  the  village  on  the  Beaver  now  transplanted  to 
the  Muskingum  to  have  been  one  hundred,  the  number  on 
the  Muskingum  in  1773  was  369.  The  Mohicans  built  ten 
miles  below  Schoenbrun,  calling  the  village  Gnadenhutten. 

When  the  pilgrimage  of  1772,  from  the  distant  Wy  aliasing, 
was  happily  ended,  and  the  Indians  in  council  had  welcomed 
the  new  arrival,  David  Zeisberger  and  John  Heckewelder 
summoned  the  congregation  together.  John  Ettwein,  about 
to  invoke  the  blessing  of  Heaven  and  depart  to  Bethlehem, 
stood  near  while  the  rules  of  the  congregation  (the  phrase 
is  Heckewelder's)  as  agreed  to  and  approved  by  the  national 


SOCIETY    OF    UNITED    BRETHREN.  233 

assistants,  were  read  and  accepted  by  the  whole  congrega 
tion.  It  was  a  scene  not  wholly  unlike  the  first  compact  of 
the  Puritan  community  in  the  cabin  of  the  Mayflower.  An 
August  sky  was  above  them — the  waters  of  the  Elk  Eye 
glided  gently  by — the  "  beautiful  spring"  reflected  the  mo 
tionless  group ;  and  the  voice  of  prayer  and  praise  hallowed 
the  adoption  of  the  following  homely  frame  of  civil  and  reli 
gious  obligation — the  first  act  of  Ohio  legislation — the  con 
stitution  of  1772. 10 

1.  We  will  know  of  no  other  God,  nor  worship  any  other 
but  him  who  has  created  us,  and  redeemed  us  with  his  most 
precious  blood. 

2.  We  will  rest  from  all  labor  on  Sundays,  and  attend  the 
usual  meetings  on  that  day  for  divine  service. 

8.  We  will  honor  father  and  mother,  and  support  them  in 
age  and  distress. 

4.  No  thieves,  murderers,  drunkards,  adulterers  and  whore 
mongers  shall  be  suffered  among  us. 

5.  No  one  shall  be  permitted  to  dwell  with  us  without  the 
consent  of  our  teachers. 

G.  No  one  that  attendeth  dances,  sacrifices,  or  heathenish 
festivals,  can  live  among  us. 

7.  No  one  using  Trchappicli  (or  witchcraft)  in  hunting, 
shall  be  suffered  among  us. 

8.  We  will  renounce  all  juggles,  lies  and  deceits  of  Satan. 

9.  We  will  be  obedient  to  our  teachers,  and  to  the  helpers 
(national  assistants)  who  are  appointed  to  see  that  good  order 
be  kept,  both  in  and  out  of  town. 

10.  We  will  not  be  idle  and  lazy — nor  tell  lies  of  one 
another — nor  strike  each  other — we  will  live  peaceably  to 
gether. 

10)  It  is  taken  from  Heckewelder's  narrative. 
10* 


lllJSTUKY    OF    UllIO. 

11.  Whosoever  does  any  harm  to  another's  cattle,  goods 
or  effects,  &c.,  shall  pay  the  damage. 

12.  A  man  shall  have  only  one  wife — love  her  and  provide 
for  her  and  the  children.     Likewise  a  woman  shall  have  but 
one  husband,  and  be  obedient  to  him  ;  she  shall  also  take  care 
of  the  children,  and  be  cleanly  in  all  things. 

18.  We  will  not  permit  any  rum,  or  spirituous  liquor,  to  be 
brought  into  our  town.  If  strangers  or  traders  happen  to 
bring  any,  the  helpers  (national  assistants)  are  to  take  it  into 
their  possession,  and  take  care  not  to  deliver  it  to  them  until 
they  set  off  again. 

14.  None  of  the  inhabitants  shall  run  in  debt  with  traders, 
nor  receive  goods  on  commission  for  traders,  without  consent 
of  the  national  assistants. 

15.  No  one  is  to  go  on  a  journey  or  long  hunt  without  in 
forming  the  minister  or  steward  of  it. 

10.  Young  people  are  not  to  marry  without  the  consent  of 
their  parents,  and  taking  their  advice. 

17.  If  the  stewards  or  helpers  apply  to  the  inhabitants  for 
assistance,  in  doing  work  for  the  benefit  of  the  place,  such  as 
building  meeting  and  school  houses,  clearing  and  fencing 
lands,  &c..  they  are  to  be  obedient. 

18.  All  necessary  contributions  for  the  public  ought  cheer 
fully  to  be  attended  to. 

"  The  above  rules  were  made  and  adopted  at  a  time  when 
there  was  a  profound  peace;  when,  however,  six  years  after 
wards  (during  the  revolutionary  war)  individuals  of  the  Del 
aware  nation  took  up  the  hatchet  to  join  in  the  conflict,  the 
national  assistants  proposed  and  insisted  on  having  the  fol 
lowing  additional  rules  added,  namely : 

19.  No  man  inclining  to  go  to  war — which  is  the  shedding 
of  blood — can  remain  among  us. 


SOCIETY    OF    UNITED    BRETHREN.  235 

20.  Whosoever  purchases  goods  or  articles  of  warriors, 
knowing  at  the  time  that  such  have  been  stolen  or  plundered, 
must  leave  us.  We  look  upon  this  as  giving  encouragement 
to  murder  and  theft. 

"According  to  custom,  these  rules  were,  at  the  commence 
ment  of  every  year,  read  in  public  meeting ;  and  no  new 
member  or  applicant  could  be  permitted  to  live  in  the  con 
gregation  without  making  a  solemn  promise  that  he  or  she 
would  strictly  conform  to  them.  When  any  person  residing 
in  the  congregation  gave  offence,  or  caused  disturbance,  it 
was  the  duty  of  the  national  assistants  first  to  admonish  such 
person  or  persons  in  a  friendly  manner ;  but  where  such  ad 
monition  proved  ineffectual,  then  to  consult  together  for  the 
purpose  of  publicly  putting  him,  her  or  them,  out  of  the  soci 
ety,  and  dismissing  such  altogether  from  the  place.  Next 
to  these  rules,  other  necessary  and  proper  regulations  were 
made  and  adopted ;  for  instance,  respecting  the  daily  meet 
ings  and  the  duty  of  church  wardens,  schools,  attending  to 
visitors,  and  the  attention  to  be  paid  to  the  poor,  sick  and 
needy,  or  distressed — and  also  with  regard  to  contributions 
to  be  made  from  time  to  time  for  the  benefit  of  the  congre 
gation  at  large,  as  also  individuals  in  the  same,  unable  to 
support  themselves,  or  furnish  the  necessary  attire  for  the 
deceased,  so  that  the  corpse  of  the  poorest  person  in  the  com 
munity  was  dressed  as  decent  as  the  wealthy." 

Our  narrative  of  Moravian  antecedents  has  been  minute, 
but  not,  as  we  submit,  disproportionate.  We  should  expect 
that  the  historian  of  Massachusetts  would  not  stint  the  chap 
ters  devoted  to  the  tale  of  Puritan  suffering  in  England, 
which  at  length  freighted  the  Mayflower.  The  annalist  of 
Pennsylvania  could  devote  no  less  space  to  the  traditions 
of  Fox,  Penn  and  their  associates ;  and  who  could  object  to 


236  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

a  general  memoir  of  the  Huguenots  of  France,  in  writing  a 
history  of  North  Carolina,  or  of  the  Jesuit  organization,  in 
a  narrative  of  Canadian  colonization  ?  Such  a  relation  the 
Moravians  bear  to  Ohio,  and  the  theme  is  in  all  respects  too 
attractive,  not  to  have  yielded  to  the  temptation  of  fullness 
in  detail.  Indeed,  the  principal  embarrassment  has  been, 
not  to  seek,  but  how  to  decline,  the  materials  for  the  present 
episode.11 

We  have  the  authority  of  James  Patrick,  Esq.,  of  New 
Philadelphia,  that  the  present  site  of  Shocnbrun  is  about 
two  miles  south  of  New  Philadelphia,  in  Tuscarawas  county  ; 
seven  (Heckewelder  says  ten)  miles  farther  south,  was  Gna- 
denhutten,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  present  village 

11)  This  sketch  of  the  Moravians,  prior  to  their  occupation  of  Oliio  in 
1772,  has  been  mostly  compiled  from  Loskiel's  History  of  the  Missions  in 
Xorth  America,  Graham's  Colonial  History  of  the  United  States,  Bancroft's 
History,  Heckewelder's  Narrative.  Howe's  Pennsylvania,  the  Religious  En 
cyclopedia  and  John  Wesley's  Journal.  The  work  of  Loskiel  appears  to 
be  the  fountain  from  which  subsequent  writers  have  drawn.  The  best  com 
pilation  of  his  work  is  Graham's  Colonization  of  America,  to  whose  para 
phrase  this  chapter  is  greatly  indebted.  Parkman's  Conspiracy  of  Pontiac 
has  also  supplied  some  particulars  of  the  excitement  in  Pennsylvania  in 
1764,  which  were  not  attainable  elsewhere.  Graham's  work  has  never  been 
appreciated.  The  author  was  a  Scotchman,  who  never  visited  this  country, 
but  being  a  lover  of  civil  and  religious  freedom,  as  well  as  a  consummate 
scholar  and  jurist,  his  attention  was  turned  to  the  early  planting  of  the 
American  States;  and  by  an  intelligent  and  assiduous  investigation  of  the 
historical  archives  of  England,  France,  Holland  and  Germany,  he  was  ena 
bled  to  produce  and  perfect  a  work,  accurate,  liberal,  authoritative  and 
attractive.  Himself  strongly  religious  by  temperament  and  habit,  the  Mo 
ravian  annals  seemed  to  have  impressed  his  sensibilities  in  a  remarkable 
degree,  and  a  transcript  of  the  historian  Loskiel  forms  an  interesting  por 
tion  of  his  work.  It  is  a  singular  fact  that  an  Italian  (Botta)  was  one  of 
the  earliest  and  most  estimable  historians  of  the  American  Revolution, 
while  the  colonization  of  the  continent  was  first  satisfactorily  narrated  by 
another  foreigner—neither  Graham  or  Botta  having  ever  formed  any  perso 
nal  associations,  as  a  visitor  or  resident,  with  a  country  whose  history 
afforded  the  theme  of  their  enthusiastic  and  successful  labors. 


SOCIETY    OF    UNITED    BRETHREN.  237 

of  that  name  ;  and  about  five  miles  further  below,  was  Salem, 
afterwards  established  a  short  distance  from  the  village  of 
Port  Washington.  The  first  and  last  mentioned  were  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Tuscaroras,  now  near  the  margin  of  the 
Ohio  canal.  Gnadenhutten  is  on  the  east  side  of  the  river. 
But  at  the  moment  that  the  first  permanent  colonization 
of  the  State  seemed  to  be  progressing  thus  auspiciously,  the 
storm  of  Indian  hostility  was  filling  the  horizon.  We  hasten 
to  record  the  events  of  1774. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

DUNMORE'S  EXPEDITION  IN  1774.    THE  STORY  OF  LOGAN. 

THE  name  of  Logan  is  closely  associated  with  the  hostili 
ties  of  1774,  usually  called  Dunmore's  war,  from  the  fact 
that  Lord  Dunmore,  then  Governor  of  Virginia,  commanded 
one  division  of  the  army,  by  whose  invasion  ifc  was  termina 
ted.  We  shall  precede  our  narrative  of  its  events,  by  a  few 
memorials  of  the  remarkable  person  above  mentioned. 

When  Count  Zinzendorf,  the  Moravian  bishop,  visited  his 
Pennsylvania  brethren  in  1742,  he  followed  the  course  of 
the  Susquehannah  River  to  Shomokin,  a  populous  Indian 
town,  and  thence  crossed  to  the  residence  of  Catharine  Mon- 
tour,  near  the  head  of  Seneca  Lake  in  New  York.  He  was 
accompanied  by  Conrad  Weisser,  the  Indian  agent  of  Penn 
sylvania,  and  four  converted  Indians.  At  Shomokin,  they 
were  hospitably  entertained  by  Shikellimus,  a  Cayuga  chief, 
who  is  described  as  the  "first  magistrate  and  head-chief  of 
all  the  Iroquois  Indians  living  on  the  banks  of  the  Susque 
hannah  as  far  as  Onondago."  Afterwards  Shikellimus  was 
converted  to  Christianity,  and  the  missionaries  "  considered 
him  a  candidate  for  baptism,  but  hearing  that  he  had  been 
already  baptised  by  a  Roman  Catholic  priest  in  Canada, 
they  only  endeavored  to  impress  his  mind  with  a  proper  idea 
of  the  importance  of  this  sacramental  ordinance,  upon  which 
he  destroyed  a  small  idol,  which  he  wore  about  his  neck."1 

1)  Loskiel's  North  American  Missions,  part  ii.,  p.  120. 

(138) 


ANECDOTES    OF    LOGAN.  239 

Shikellimus  died  in  1749,  attended  in  his  last  moments  by 
David  Zeisberger. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  Logan  was  the  second  son  of  this 
chief — his  name  being  a  tribute  of  respect  to  James  Logan, 
Secretary  of  the  Province  of  Pennsylvania,  who  was  highly 
esteemed  by  Shikellimus.  Heckewelder  wrote  to  Jefferson 
that  "  about  the  year  1772,  Logan  was  introduced  to  him  by 
an  Indian  friend,  as  son  to  the  late  reputable  chief,  Shi 
kellimus,  and  as  a  friend  to  the  white  people."  Hecke 
welder  was  favorably  impressed  by  the  " superior  talents" 
and  correct  sentiments  of  Logan.2 

After  reaching  manhood,  Logan  lived  for  a  while  in  Penn 
sylvania,  within  the  present  limits  of  Mifflin  county,  and  the 
following  anecdotes  of  him  during  this  period,  are  preserved 
in  Day's  Historical  Collections  of  that  State,  but  the  dates  of 
their  occurrence  are  not  given. 

William  Brown,  with  two  companions,  had  been  hunting 
bear,  and  was  separated  from  his  two  companions  in  the  pur 
suit  of  one  which  they  had  started.  In  his  own  words,  he 
was  traveling  along,  looking  about  on  the  rising  ground  for 
the  bear,  when  he  suddenly  came  upon  a  spring,  and  laid 
down  to  drink.  Suddenly  he  saw  reflected  on  the  opposite 
side,  the  shadow  of  a  tall  Indian.  Brown  sprung  to  his  feet, 
seized  his  rifle,  but  the  Indian  knocked  up  the  pan  of  his 
gun,  threw  out  the  priming,  and  extended  his  open  palm  in 
token  of  friendship.  This  was  Logan,  and  the  two  became 
firm  allies.  Further  down  the  stream,  was  the  camp  of 
another  hunter,  Samuel  Maclay,  and  thither  Logan  con 
ducted  his  new  acquaintance.  In  a  few  days,  Brown  and 
Maclay  visited  Logan  at  his  camp,  which  was  in  the  same 

2)  Jefferson's  Notes  on  the  State  of  Virginia.    Philadelphia,  1801 ;   ap 
pendix,  p.  39. 


240  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

neighborhood — the  Kishacoquilas  valley — and  situated  near 
what  is  now  known  as  Logan's  spring,  in  Mifflin  county. 
Here  Maclay  and  Logan  shot  at  a  mark  for  a  dollar  a  shot. 
Logan  lost  four  or  five  rounds,  and  acknowledged  himself 
beaten.  When  the  white  men  were  about  to  leave,  he  went 
into  his  hut,  and  brought  out  as  many  deer  skins  as  he  had 
lost  dollars,  and  handed  them  to  Mr.  Maclay,  who  refused  to 
take  them,  alleging  that  he  was  Logan's  guest,  and  did  not 
come  to  rob  him ;  that  the  shooting  had  been  only  a  trial  of 
skill,  and  the  bet  merely  nominal.  Logan  drew  himself  up 
with  great  dignity,  and  said  "me  bet  to  make  you  shoot 
your  best — me  gentleman,  and  me  take  your  dollar  if  me 
beat."  There  was,  of  course,  no  alternative  than  to  take 
the  skins.  So  sensitive  was  Logan,  that  he  would  not 
accept  even  a  horn  of  powder  in  return. 

Mr.  Brown,  who  was  an  associate  judge  of  Mifflin  county 
from  its  organization  till  his  death  at  the  age  of  ninety-one 
or  two,  soon  afterwards  settled  in  the  vicinity.  When  his 
little  daughter  was  just  beginning  to  walk,  her  mother  ex 
pressed  her  regret  that  she  could  not  get  a  pair  of  shoes  to 
give  more  firmness  to  her  little  step.  Logan  stood  by,  but 
said  nothing.  He  soon  after  asked  Mrs.  Brown  to  let  the 
little  girl  go  up  and  spend  the  day  at  his  cabin.  The  cautious 
heart  of  the  mother  was  alarmed  at  such  a  proposition ;  but 
she  knew  the  delicacy  of  an  Indian's  feelings — and  she  knew 
Logan,  too — and  with  secret  reluctance,  but  apparent  cheer 
fulness,  she  complied  with  his  request.  The  hours  of  the  day 
wore  slowly  away,  and  it  was  nearly  night,  when  her  little  one 
had  not  returned :  but  just  as  the  sun  was  going  down,  the 
trusty  chief  was  seen  coming  down  the  path  with  his  charge ; 
and  in  a  moment  more  the  little  one  trotted  into  her  mother's 
arms,  proudly  exhibiting  a  beautiful  pair  of  moccasins  on  her 


LOGAN'S  EMIGRATION  TO  THE  OHIO.  241 

little  feet — the  produce  of  Logan's  skill.  It  is  no  wonder  that 
Judge  Brown  should  call  the  kind  and  noble  hearted  Logan 
"  the  best  specimen  of  humanity  (he)  ever  met  with,  either 
white  or  red."  "  Poor  Logan  !"  he  is  reported  to  have  said  on 
the  same  occasion,  the  tears  coursing  down  his  cheeks, "  he  soon 
after  went  into  the  Alleghany,  and  I  never  saw  him  again."3 
We  have  already  assumed  that  the  Mingo  town  upon  the 
Ohio  River  at  the  mouth  of  Indian  Cross  Creek,  was  the  res 
idence  of  Logan,  but  it  could  not  have  been  founded  by  him. 
In  1765,  George  Croghan,  in  his  journal  of  a  voyage  to  the 
Wabash,  describes  a  Seneca  village,  "  on  a  high  bank  on  the 
north  side  of  the  river  at  a  place  called  Two  Creeks,  about 
fifteen  miles  from  Yellow  Creek,"  and  says  that  the  chief  of 
this  village  offered  his  services  to  go  with  him  to  the  Illinois 
country,  which  were  not  refused,  from  a  fear  of  giving  offence, 
although  Croghan  "  had  a  sufficient  number  of  deputies  al 
ready."  Washington,  in  his  journal  of  a  tour  to  the  Ohio  in 
1770,  after  descending  Long  Island  (now  opposite  Island 
Creek  township  in  Jefferson  county),  and  Big  Stony  Creek,  a 
mile  or  two  below  the  island  on  the  west  side,  adds:  "About 
seven  miles  from  the  last  mentioned  creek,  and  about  seventy- 
five  from  Pittsburg,  we  came  to  the  Mingo  town,  situate  on 
the  west  side  of  the  river,  a  little  above  Cross  creeks :  this 
place  contains  about  twenty  cabins  and  seventy  inhabitants 
of  the  Six  Nations.  It  is  made  probable  by  the  communica 
tion  of  Heckewelder,  published  by  Jefferson,  that  this  village 
did  not  become  the  residence  of  Logan  until  after  Washing 
ton's  visit.  Heckewelder  says  that  when  he  met  Logan  in 
1772,  on  the  Beaver  River,  the  latter  expressed  an  intention 
to  settle  on  the  Ohio  River  below  Big  Beaver,  but  was  then 
encamped  at  the  mouth  of  Beaver.  In  April,  1773,  when 

3)  Historical  Collections  of  Pennsylvania,  by  Sherman  Day,  p.  467. 


242  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

Heckewelder  was  on  his  way  to  the  Muskingum,  with  the 
Moravian  emigration  from  Freidenstadt,  he  called  at  "  Logan's 
settlement,  receiving  every  civility  from  such  of  the  family 
as  were  at  home."  We  assume,  therefore,  that  the  Mingo 
town  in  question,  composed  of  Indians  from  the  different  New 
York  tribes,  but  principally  of  Senecas,  was  known  for  some 
years  before  Logan's  emigration  to  the  Ohio  in  1772,  but 
that,  almost  immediately  on  his  arrival,  he  became  so  promi 
nent  among  the  Indians  of  the  frontier,  that  the  village  was 
called  after  his  name.  David  Zeisberger,  the  friend  of  his 
father  Shikellimus,  and  who  had  known  Logan  from  boyhood, 
speaks  of  him  as  "  a  man  of  quick  comprehension,  good  judg 
ment  and  talents."  There  is  evidence,  also,  that  he  was  a 
person  of  distinguished  appearance. 

We  will  now  endeavor,  from  a  mass  of  conflicting  testi 
mony,  to  narrate  the  circumstances  which  transformed  Lo 
gan  from  the  firm  friend  to  the  bitter  enemy  of  the  whites. 

In  the  winter  of  1773—4,  one  Dr.  John  Connolly,  a 
nephew  of  George  Croghan,  determined  to  assert  the  claims 
of  Virginia  upon  Fort  Pitt  and  its  vicinity.  He  issued  a 
proclamation  to  the  inhabitants,  to  meet  at  Redstone,  now 
Brownsville,  on  the  24th  and  25th  of  January,  1774,  and 
organize  themselves  as  a  Virginia  militia.  Before  the  time 
appointed,  Connolly  was  arrested  by  Arthur  St.  Clair,  who 
then  represented  the  Pennsylvania  proprietors  at  Pittsburgh, 
and  the  assemblage  at  Redstone  dispersed  without  definite 
action.  As  soon  as  Connolly  was  released  from  custody, 
however,  he  renewed  his  efforts  to  establish  the  exclusive 
authority  of  Virginia.  He  came  to  Pittsburgh  on  the  28th 
of  March,  with  an  armed  band  of  followers,  and  in  the  name 
and  by  the  authority  of  Lord  Dunmore,  proclaimed  the 
jurisdiction  of  Virginia — rebuilding  Fort  Pitt,  which  was 


OUTBREAK   OF   HOSTILITIES.  243 

called  Fort  Dunmore.  He  was  recognized  as  Captain  Com 
mandant  of  a  district  called  West  Augusta,  and  almost 
immediately  exhibited  a  tyrannical  spirit  to  all  who  were  in 
the  Pennsylvania  interest,  while  he  seemed  not  unwilling  to 
involve  the  frontier  in  an  Indian  war — one  motive  for  the 
latter  policy  being,  as  suggested  by  Arthur  St.  Clair  and 
others,  to  cloak  his  extravagant  civil  expenditure,  with  the 
indefinite  item  of  frontier  defence.  At  any  rate,  his  letters 
to  the  Virginians,  who  were  scattered  in  exploring  parties 
along  the  south  bank  of  the  Ohio,  contributed  materially 
to  the  outbreak  of  hostilities.4  On  the  21st  of  April,  Con 
nolly  wrote  that  the  Shawanese  were  riot  to  be  trusted,  and 
that  the  whites  ought  to  be  prepared  to  revenge  any  wrong 
done  them.  Already  the  Indians  were  accused  of  stealing 
horses  from  the  encampments  and  settlements  of  the  Virgin 
ians,  and  on  the  16th  of  April,  a  canoe,  belonging  to  William 
Butler,  a  leading  Pittsburgh  trader,  had  been  attacked  near 
Wheeling  by  three  Cherokees,  and  one  white  man  had  been 
killed.  The  alarm  spread  down  the  river,  and  a  party  of 
Virginian  surveyors  and  explorers  organized,  with  Capt. 
Michael  Cresap  at  their  head,  and  repaired  to  Wheeling,  to 
determine  what  course  to  pursue.  George  Rogers  Clark, 
who  was  of  this  band,  has  left  a  statement  that  Cresap  dissua 
ded  them  from  an  intention  to  attack  a  town  called  Horse- 
head  Bottom,  on  the  Scioto  and  near  its  mouth,  and  proposed 
the  return  to  Wheeling.5  Here,  according  to  Clark,  t\vo 
letters  were  received  from  Connolly — one  requesting  the 
men  to  keep  their  position  for  a  few  days,  as  war  was 

4)  For  the  facts  relative  to  Connolly's  conduct,  &c.,  see  American  Archives, 
fourth  scries,  i.,  252  to  288,  435,  774,  &c. 

5)  Clark's  letter  was  originally  published  in  the  Louisville  News  Letter, 
and  is  quoted  in  the  Hesperian,  February,  1839,  p.  309. 


244  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

apprehended,  and  messengers  were  then  at  the  Indian  towns 
to  ascertain  their  purpose,  and  a  second  letter  (we  suppose 
the  same  above  mentioned  as  dated  April  21,)  addressed  to 
Capt.  Cresap,  informing  him  that  the  messengers  had 
returned  from  the  Indians :  that  "  war  was  inevitable,  and 
the  country  should  be  covered  with  scouts  until  the  inhabi 
tants  could  fortify  themselves."  Clark  continues:  "The 
reception  of  this  letter  was  the  epoch  of  open  hostilities  with 
the  Indians.  A  new  post  was  planted,  a  council  wras  called, 
and  the  letter  read  by  Cresap,  all  the  Indian  traders  being 
summoned  on  so  important  an  occasion.  Action  was  had, 
and  war  declared  in  the  most  solemn  manner:  and  the  same 
evening  two  scalps  were  brought  into  the  camp." 

These  were  probably  the  scalps  of  friendly  Indians,  who 
had  been  despatched  by  William  Butler,  the  Pittsburgh  tra 
der,  to  look  after  the  cargo  of  the  canoe,  which  the  Chero- 
kees  had  attacked.  Ebenezer  Zane,  who  was  settled  at 
Wheeling,  has  testified  that  he  opposed  the  project  of  killing 
these  Indians,  but  his  good  counsel  was  lost.  The  party,  or 
some  of  them,  went  up  the  river.  On  being  asked  at  their 
return,  what  had  become  of  the  Indians,  they  coolly  answered 
that  "they  had  fallen  overboard  into  the  river."  The  tra 
ders  were  brought  back  in  safety,  but  Zane  says  that  he 
examined  the  canoe,  "found  much  blood  and  bullet  holes," 
and  inferred  the  tragic  condition  of  affairs. 

We  resume  Clark's  narrative.  "  The  next  day  some  canoes 
of  Indians  were  discovered  on  the  river,  keeping  the  advantage 
of  an  island  to  cover  themselves  from  our  view.  They  were 
chased  fifteen  miles  down  the  river,  and  driven  ashore ;  a  battle 
ensued  ;  a  few  were  wounded  on  both  sides  :  one  Indian  only 
taken  prisoner.  On  examining  their  canoes,  we  found  a  con 
siderable  quantity  of  ammunition  and  other  warlike  stores. 


SKIRMISH   AT   CAPTINA   CREEK.  245 

On  our  return  to  camp,  a  resolution  was  adopted  to  march  the 
next  day,  and  attack  Logan's  camp  on  the  Ohio,  about  thirty 
miles  above  us.  We  did  march  about  five  miles,  and  then  halted 
to  take  some  refreshment.  Here  the  impropriety  of  executing 
the  attempted  enterprise  was  argued.  The  conversation  was 
brought  forward  by  Cresap  himself.  It  was  generally  agreed 
that  those  Indians  had  no  hostile  intentions  ;  as  I  myself  and 
others  present  had  been  in  their  camp  about  four  weeks 
past,  on  our  descending  the  river  from  Pittsburg.  In  short, 
every  person  seemed  to  detest  the  resolution  we  had  set  out 
with.  We  returned  in  the  evening,  decamped,  and  took  the 
road  to  Redstone." 

We  suppose  that  Col.  Ebenezer  Zane,  in  his  statement, 
dated  Feb.  4,  1800,  alludes  to  the  same  affair  as  Clark  here 
relates,  in  the  following  paragraph:  "  On  the  afternoon  of 
the  day  this  action  (killing  the  two  Indians  above  Wheeling) 
happened,  a  report  prevailed  that  there  was  a  camp  of  Indi 
ans  on  the  Ohio,  below  or  near  the  Wheeling.  In  conse 
quence  of  this  information,  Captain  Cresap  with  his  party, 
joined  by  a  number  of  recruits,  proceeded  immediately  down 
the  Ohio  for  the  purpose,  as  was  then  generally  understood, 
of  destroying  the  Indians  above  mentioned.  On  the  succeed 
ing  day,  Captain  Cresap  and  his  party  returned  to  Wheeling, 
and  it  was  generally  reported  by  the  party  that  they  had 
killed  a  number  of  Indians.  Of  the  truth  of  this  report  I 
had  no  doubt,  as  one  of  Cresap's  party  was  badly  wounded, 
and  the  party  had  a  fresh  scalp,  and  a  quantity  of  property, 
which  they  called  Indian  plunder.  At  the  time  of  the  last 
mentioned  transaction,  it  was  generally  reported  that  the 
party  of  Indians  down  the  Ohio,  were  Logan  and  his  family, 
but  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  this  report  was  unfounded. 

If  we  arc  correct  in  supposing  that  Clark  and  Zane  refer 


246  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

to  the  same  transaction,  Doddridge  is  an  authority  to  the 
additional  facts  that  the  battle  was  fought  at  the  mouth  of 
Captina  creek,  at  the  southeast  border  of  Belmont  county, 
and  that  one  of  Cresap's  party  was  severely  wounded.6 

"Two  days  afterwards,"  says  Clark,  or  "within  a  few 
days,"  according  to  Zane  and  Doddridge,  or  on  the  4th  of 
May,  according  to  a  third  account,  occurred  the  tragedy 
opposite  the  mouth  of  Yellow  creek.  One  Baker  was  settled 
on  the  Virginia  side,  and  a  party  of  thirty-two  persons  had 
gathered  in  the  neighborhood.  On  the  north,  or  Indian  side 
of  the  Ohio,  was  an  Indian  encampment,  from  which  a  party 
of  five  men,  one  woman,  (some  accounts  say  two)  and  a  little 
child  crossed  to  Baker's.  Here  rum  was  offered  them  by 
the  direction  of  Greathouse,  and  three  of  the  men  were 
made  drunk.  The  other  two  men  and  the  woman  refused  to 
drink  and  were  shot  down,  while  the  intoxicated  Indians 
were  tomahawked.  This  was  done  by  only  five  or  six  of 
Greathouse 's  party,  the  rest  protesting  against  it  as  an  atro 
cious  murder,  but  not  preventing  the  deed.  The  child,  a 
very  young  female  infant,  was  spared  by  the  humanity  of 
some  one  of  the  party. 

The  Indians  in  the  camp  at  Yelknv  creek,  hearing  the  firing 
at  the  house,  sent  a  canoe  with  two  men  in  it  to  inquire  what 
had  happened.  These  two  Indians  were  both  shot  down  as 
soon  as  they  landed  on  the  beach.  A  second  and  larger 
canoe  was  then  manned  with  a  number  of  Indians  in  arms  ; 
who,  attempting  to  reach  the  shore  some  distance  below  the 
house,  were  received  with  a  well  directed  fire  from  the  party, 
which  killed  the  greater  number  of  them,  and  compelled  the 
survivors  to  retire.  A  great  number  of  shots  were  exchanged 

6)  Doddridge's  Notes,  p.  226.    The- subject  is  fully  presented  in  the  ap 
pendix  to  Jefferson's  Notes. 


INDIAN    WAR   PARTIES.  247 

across  the  river,  but  without  damage  to  the  white  party,  not 
one  of  whom  was  even  wounded.  The  Indian  men  who 
were  murdered  were  all  scalped.  The  surviving  Indians 
escaped  down  the  river. 

In  the  course  of  these  bloody  transactions,  several  rela 
tives  of  Logan  were  killed — probably  his  brothers  and  a  sister. 
His  own  language,  in  the  earliest  copy  of  his  celebrated 
speech  which  is  extant,  was  that  "  Col.  Cresap  cut  off,  in  cold 
blood,  all  the  relations  of  Logan,  not  sparing  women  and 
children  ;"  but  Jefferson's  version  reads,  "  not  sparing  my 
women  and  children." 

It  is  related  by  Henry  Jolly,  many  years  associate  judge 
of  Washington  county,  Ohio,  (whose  narrative  of  the  affair 
at  Yellow  creek  we  have  partially  adopted)  that  a  short  time 
before,  in  an  Indian  council,  Logan  had  strongly  recommen 
ded  peace.  He  reminded  the  Indians  of  some  aggressions 
on  their  own  part,  and  that  the  only  effect  of  hostilities 
would  be  that  the  "Long  Knife,"  or  Virginians,  would  come 
like  the  trees  in  the  woods,  and  the  Indians  would  be  driven 
from  the  good  lands  they  possessed.  His  advice  was  adopted, 
the  hatchet  grounded — when  the  fugitives  from  Yellow  creek 
arrived  with  the  appalling  intelligence  of  the  slaughter  of 
his  own  relatives.7 

Our  first  specific  account  of  Logan's  retaliation  is  as  late  as 
the  12th  of  July.  Doubtless,  in  the  six  or  eight  weeks  pre 
vious,  efforts  were  making  to  renew  the  confederation  of  the 
Ohio  Indians  against  the  English.  Loskiel  mentions  that 
the  Delawares  were  urged  by  the  Senecas  and  Shawanese  to 
join  in  hostilities — but  they  refused,  as  a  nation,  to  take  up 
the  hatchet.  They  were  called  Shwonnoks,  or  white  people, 
in  derision,  greatly  exasperating  the  young  Delawares,  many 
7)  See  Appendix  No.  V,  for  further  particulars  of  these  massacres. 


248  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

of  whom  probably  fell  into  the  war-path  as  volunteers.  But 
even  among  the  Shawanese  there  was  a  peace  party.  Their 
great  chief,  Cornstalk,  was  influential  in  saving  the  lives  of 
some  Pittsburgh  traders  from  the  fury  of  the  Mingoes,  and 
sent  them  in  safety  to  their  homes.  It  is  said  that  Connolly, 
as  if  determined  to  precipitate  a  general  war,  attempted  to 
seize  the  Shawanese  Indians,  three  in  number,  who  had 
escorted  the  traders  through  the  wilderness,  and  when  re 
strained  by  his  uncle,  Col.  Croghan,  sought  to  intercept  them 
on  their  return,  and  that  one  was  severely  wounded  by  the 
whites.  If  so,  all  friendly  dispositions  would  vanish  of  course. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  before  August  had  arrived,  the  Shaw 
anese,  and  all  the  Mingo  bands,  were  in  the  field,  recruited 
by  a  few  Delawares  and  Cherokees. 

Logan  was  determined  that  his  blow  for  vengeance  should 
fall  where  it  would  produce  the  greatest  consternation,  and 
with  a  chosen  band  of  eight  warriors,  he  penetrated  to  the 
settlements  on  the  head  waters  of  the  Monongahela,  where 
many  scalps  and  several  prisoners  were  taken,  with  which, 
by  the  signal  conduct  of  their  chief,  the  party  were  enabled 
to  elude  pursuit  and  return  in  safety. 

Among  these  prisoners  wras  William  Robinson,  with  whom 
Logan  was  very  friendly  during  the  journey  to  an  Indian 
town  near  Dresden,  on  the  Muskingum  River — "speaking 
English  well,"  as  Robinson  testifies  in  an  affidavit  annexed 
to  Jefferson's  Notes  on  Virginia.  Arrived  at  the  village, 
Logan  made  an  extraordinary  effort  to  save  the  life  of  Robin 
son.  He  spoke  nearly  an  hour,  and  very  eloquently  ;  but  the 
council  was  resolved  to  torture  the  prisoner.  He  was  at 
length  rescued,  while  bound  at  the  stake — Logan  cutting  his 
thongs,  throwing  a  belt  of  wampum  around  him,  and  leading 


DUNMORE   AND    LEWIS*    EXPEDITION.  249 

him  in  safety  to  his  wigwam,  where  he  was  adopted  in  place 
of  a  brother  who  was  killed  at  Yellow  creek. 

About  the  21st  of  July,  Logan  came  to  Robinson,  and 
brought  a  piece  of  paper,  and  told  him  to  write  a  letter  for 
him.  Some  ink  was  prepared  from  gunpowder,  and  Logan 
dictated  the  following  letter  : 

"CAPTAIN  CRESAP:  —  What  did  you  kill  my  people  on 
Yellow  creek  for  ?  The  white  people  killed  my  kin  at  Cone- 
stoga,  a  great  while  ago ;  and  I  thought  nothing  of  that. 
But  you  killed  my  kin  again,  on  Yellow  creek,  and  took  my 
cousin  prisoner.  Then  I  thought  I  must  kill  too,  and  I  have 
been  three  times  to  war  since  ;  but  the  Indians  are  not  angry : 
only  myself.  CAPTAIN  JOHN  LOGAN." 

This  document  was  afterwards  found  tied  to  a  war-club,  in 
a  house  on  the  north  fork  of  Holston  creek,  in  Fincastle 
county,  the  family  having  been  cut  off  by  the  Indians.8 

While  the  war  was  thus  carried  to  the  heart  of  the  Alle- 
ghany  range,  the  Virginians,  in  their  turn,  gathered  in  July 
at  Wheeling,  descended  the  Ohio  to  the  mouth  of  Captina, 
or  as  some  say,  Fish  creek,  and  thence  struck  westwardly  to 
the  Indian  town  of  Wappatomica,  on  the  Muskingum.  They 
were  commanded  by  Col.  McDonald,  and  baffling  an  attempt 
to  surprise  them,  destroyed  several  villages,  and  returned  with 
three  chiefs  as  prisoners.  This  foray  only  added  to  the 
general  irritation. 

In  August,  the  governor  of  Virginia  determined  to  raise 
a  large  force  and  carry  the  war  into  the  enemy's  country. 
The  plan  of  the  expedition  was  soon  arranged.  Three  com 
plete  regiments  were  to  be  raised  west  of  the  Blue  Ridge, 
under  the  command  of  General  Andrew  Lewis,  while  an 

&)  American  Pioneer,  vol.  i.,  pp.  7-24 — an  interesting  compilation  of  facts 
in  respect  to  Logan. 


250  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

equal  force  from  the  interior  should  be  commanded  by  Lord 
Dunmore  in  person.  The  armies  were  to  form  a  junction  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Great  Kenhawa,  and  proceed  together 
under  Dunmore  to  the  Indian  towns  in  Ohio. 

On  the  1st  of  September,  a  part  of  General  Lewis'  divi 
sion,  consisting  of  two  regiments  under  the  orders  of  Col. 
Charles  Lewis,  his  brother,  and  Col.  William  Fleming,  of 
Botetourt,  assembled  at  Camp  Union,  (now  Lewisburgh, 
Va.)  where  they  were  joined  by  an  independent  regiment 
of  backwoods  volunteers,  under  the  orders  of  Col.  John 
Fields,  a  distinguished  officer,  who,  together  with  most  of 
those  now  assembled,  had  served  under  Braddock.  Here 
they  remained,  awaiting  the  arrival  of  Col.  Christian,  who 
was  busily  engaged  in  collecting  another  regiment.  By  the 
junction  of  Field,  Lewis'  force  amounted  to  about  eleven 
hundred  men,  accustomed  to  danger,  and  conducted  by  the 
flower  of  the  border  officers.  General  Lewis,  as  well  as  his 
brother,  had  been  present  at  Braddock's  defeat,  and  were 
subaltern  officers  in  two  companies  of  Virginia  riflemen,  who 
formed  the  advance  of  the  English  army. 

Having  waited  several  days  at  Lewisburgh  for  Colonel 
Christian,  without  hearing  from  him,  Gen.  Lewis  determined 
no  longer  to  delay  his  advance.  On  the  llth  of  September 
he  left  Lewisburgh,  and  without  any  adventure  of  impor 
tance,  arrived  at  the  concerted  place  of  rendezvous.  Dun- 
more  had  not  yet  arrived,  and  Lewis  remained  several  clays 
in  anxious  expectation  of  his  approach.  At  length  he  re 
ceived  dispatches  from  the  governor,  informing  him  that  he 
had  changed  his  plan,  and  had  determined  to  move  directly 
upon  the  Scioto  villages,  at  the  same  time  ordering  Lewis  to 
cross  the  Ohio  and  join  him. 

Although  not  much  gratified  at  this  sudden  change  of  a 


BATTLE  OF  POINT  PLEASANT.  251 

plan  which  had  been  deliberately  formed,  Lewis  prepared  to 
obey,  and  had  issued  directions  for  the  construction  of  rafts, 
boats,  &c.,  with  which  to  cross  the  Ohio;  when,  on  the  morn 
ing  of  the  10th  of  October,  two  men  were  fired  upon,  while 
scouting  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  camp.  One  was 
killed,  but  the  other  escaped  to  the  camp,  bearing  the  alarm 
that  a  body  of  Indians  was  at  hand. 

General  Andrewr  Lewis  immediately  ordered  his  brother, 
Col.  Charles  Lewis,  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  the 
Augusta  troops,  to  march  to  the  right  some  distance  from 
the  Ohio,  while  Col.  Fleming,  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  of 
the  Botetourt,  Bedford  and  Fincastle  troops,  was  ordered  to 
the  bank  of  the  Ohio  on  the  left.  Col.  Charles  Lewis  had 
not  marched  half  a  mile,  when,  about  sunrise,  he  was  attacked 
by  a  large  Indian  force,  and  in  "  about  the  second  of  a  min 
ute,"  Col.  Fleming's  division  was  also  engaged.  The  two 
commandants  fell  mortally  wounded,  and  the  Augusta  or 
Lewis'  division  was  forced  to  give  way  before  the  heavy  fire 
of  the  enemy.  The  former  were  shortly  reinforced  by  eight 
companies  led  by  Col.  Field,  and  the  Indians  retreated  in 
turn,  until  the  right  wing  was  in  line  with  Fleming's  divis- 
sion,  who  were  still  engaged  on  the  bank  of  the  Ohio.  The 
action  was  fiercely  contested.  "  The  close  underwood  and 
many  steep  banks  and  logs,  greatly  favored  the  retreat  of  the 
Indians."  The  savages  made  the  best  use  of  these  advanta 
ges,  while  small  detachments  were  employed  in  throwing  the 
dead  into  the  Ohio  River,  and  removing  their  wounded. 
The  closing  scenes  of  the  engagement  are  thus  described  by 
a  Virginia  officer,  whose  letter  from  camp  bears  date  October 
17,  1774.  "After  twelve,"  he  writes,  "the  action  in  a 
small  degree  abated,  but  continued,  except  at  short  intervals, 
sharp  enough  until  after  one  o'clock.  The  long  retreat  of 


252  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

the  Indians,  gave  them  a  most  advantageous  spot  of  ground, 
from  whence  it  appeared  to  the  officers  so  difficult  to  dislodge 
them,  that  it  was  thought  most  advisable  to  stand  as  the  line 
was  then  formed,  which  was  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  in 
length,  and  had  sustained  a  constant  and  equal  weight  of  the 
action  from  wing  to  wing.  A  scattered  fire  continued  until 
near  sunset,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  dark,  the  Indians  effected 
a  safe  retreat. 

Another  letter  (Staunton,  Virginia,  November  4,  1774,) 
says  that  Lewis'  division  retreated  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile. 
After  the  reinforcement,  "  they  continued  fighting  until  noon, 
and  were  never  above  twenty  yards  apart  from  the  Indians, 
often  •  within  six  and  sometimes  closer,  tomahawking  one 
another."  "  Our  men,"  the  writer  adds,  "  got  upwards  of 
twenty  scalps,  eighty  blankets,  about  forty  guns,  and  a  great 
many  tomahawks." 

The  foregoing  narrative  of  the  battle  of  Point  Pleasant,  is 
derived  from  contemporary  publications,9  but  the  current 
version  is  somewhat  different.  It  describes  the  battle  as 
"  raging  until  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  without  any 
decisive  result " — that  the  Indians  were  at  length  entrenched 
behind  a  breastwork  of  logs  formed  from  one  river  to  an 
other,  and  enclosing  the  Virginians  within  the  point,  (when 
could  it  have  been  constructed  without  interruption  from  the 
adjacent  camp?)  and  that  the  savages  did  not  give  way, 
until  three  companies  under  the  command  of  Captain  Evan 
Shelby,10  had  been  detached  by  Gen.  Lewis  to  ascend  a 
small  stream  which  empties  into  the  Kenhawa  a  short  dis 
tance  above  its  mouth,  and  which  at  that  time  had  high  and 

9)  See  letters  in  American  Archives,  fourth  series,  i.,  808-18. 
10)  Father  of  Isaac  Shelby,  afterwards  Governor  of  Kentucky,  and  then 
a  lieutenant  in  his  father's  company. 


DUNMORE'S  EXPEDITION.  253 

bushy  banks,  and  attack  the  Indians  in  the  rear.  All 
accounts  agree  that  the  latter  withdrew  during  the  night 
across  the  river,  while  the  Virginians  were  indisposed  to 
molest  them. 

It  is  a  tradition  of  the  border,  that  Logan,  Cornstalk, 
Ellenipsico,  Red  Hawk  and  many  other  celebrated  chiefs 
were  present,  and  were  often  heard  loudly  encouraging  their 
warriors.  Cornstalk,  the  well  known  Shawanese  chieftain, 
and  leader  of  the  allied  forces,  was  particularly  conspicuous. 
His  voice  rang  above  the  din  of  the  battle,  "  Be  strong ! 
Be  strong! "  and  he  is  said  to  have  buried  his  hatchet  in  the 
brain  of  a  warrior,  who  exhibited  a  disposition  of  flight. 

In  this  desperate  conflict  the  Virginians  lost  half  their 
commissioned  officers  arid  52  men  killed.  It  is  not  an  un 
reasonable  statement  that  the  whole  number  of  killed  and 
wounded  was  one-fourth  of  the  force  engaged.  The  Indian 
loss  is  unknown,  but  33  is  the  highest  estimate  of  the  number 
found  dead  on  the  field,  and  many  were  thrown  into  the  river. 
One  statement  makes  their  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  233. 
The  force  on  both  sides  was  nearly  equal — about  eleven 
hundred. 

Soon  after  the  battle,  three  hundred  Fincastle  troops,  under 
the  command  of  Col.  Christian,  reached  Point  Pleasant,  and 
the  Virginians,  eager  with  the  purpose  of  revenging  their 
deceased  brethren,  dashed  across  the  Ohio,  in  obedience  to 
Dunmore's  orders,  leaving  a  garrison  at  the  scene  of  the  late 
engagement. 

Meanwhile,  Lord  Dunmore's  division,  about  as  numerous 
as  that  of  General  Lewis,  had  passed  the  mountains  at  the 
Potomac  Gap,  and  came  to  the  Ohio  somewhere  above 
Wheeling.  About  the  6th  of  October,  a  talk  was  had  with 
the  chiefs  of  the  Six  Nations  and  the  Delawares,  some  of 


254  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

whom  had  been  to  the  Shawanese  towns  on  a  mission  of  peace, 
but  they  reported  unfavorably.  Dunmore  descended  the 
Ohio  to  the  mouth  of  the  Hoc-knocking,  where  he  ordered  a 
block-house,  called  Fort  Gower,  to  be  erected.  He  was  at 
this  point  when  the  battle  at  Point  Pleasant  occurred,  and 
Abraham  Thomas,  late  of  Miami  county,  has  stated  that  by 
laying  his  ear  close  to  the  surface  of  the  river,  on  the  day 
of  the  battle,  he  could  distinctly  hear  the  roar  of  musketry 
twenty-eight  miles  distant.  Leaving  a  garrison  with  some 
stores  at  Fort  Gower,  Dunmore's  army  ascended  the  Hocking 
to  the  site  of  Logan,  the  present  seat  of  Hocking  county, 
where  he  left  the  stream  and  marched  westward  to  the  left 
bank  of  Sippo  creek,  about  seven  miles  southeast  of  Circle- 
ville.  Near  this  place  he  was  met  by  a  flag  and  a  white  man 
named  Elliott,  who  bore  a  message  of  submission  from  the 
Shawanese  chiefs.  The  governor  complied  with  their  request 
to  send  in  an  interpreter,  with  whom  they  could  communi 
cate,  and  ordered  an  encampment  on  Sippo  creek.  It  was 
called  Camp  Charlotte,  and  was  situated  on  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  12,  township  10,  range  21,  upon  a  pleas 
ant  piece  of  ground,  in  view  of  the  Pickaway  plains.  Another 
express  was  now  started  to  intercept  the  march  of  General 
Lewis,  but  that  gallant  officer  and  his  men  were  solicitous 
for  another  opportunity  to  attack  the  Shawanese,  and  they 
pressed  forward  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy,  until,  on  the  24th 
of  October,  they  encamped  on  !he  banks  of  the  Congo  creek, 
in  Pickaway  township,  Pickaway  county,  within  striking  dis 
tance  of  the  Indian  towns.  The  principal  Shawanese  village 
stood  where  the  village  of  Westfall  is  now  situated,  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  Scioto,  and  on  the  Ohio  canal,  near  the 
south  line  of  Pickaway  county.  This  was  the  head  quarters 
of  the  confederated  tribes,  and  was  called  Chillicothe,  and 


SUBMISSION   OF   THE   SHAWANESE.  255 

because  there  were  other  towns  either  at  that  time  or  soon 
after,  of  the  same  name,  it  was  known  as  Old  Chillicothe.11 

It  was  with  the  utmost  difficulty  that  the  Virginians  could 
be  restrained  from  falling  upon  the  Indian  towns.  They 
were  infuriated,  not  only  by  the  border  tragedies  of  the 
summer,  but  by  the  more  recent  carnage  at  Point  Pleasant. 
They  charged  Dunmore  with  the  design  of  forming  an  alliance 
with  a  confederacy  of  Indians  to  assist  Great  Britain  against 
the  colonies  in  the  crisis  of  the  revolution,  which  all  foresaw. 
The  dissatisfaction  and  disappointment  with  the  negotiation 
for  peace  was  almost  a  mutiny.  Lewis,  smarting  with  the 
death  of  his  gallant  brother,  refused  to  obey  the  command 
for  a  halt.  Dunmore  went  in  person  to  enforce  his  orders, 
and  drew  his  sword  upon  General  Lewis,  threatening  him 
with  instant  death  if  he  persisted  in  farther  disobedience. 
Regarded  historically,  however,  the  conduct  of  the  English 
governor  in  granting  peace  to  a  prostrate  and  supplicant 
enemy,  cannot  be  blamed.  The  slaughter  of  the  Indians, 
under  such  circumstances,  would  have  been  wanton  massacre. 
Dunmore  probably  hastened  a  peace  with  the  savages,  from 
an  anxiety  to  return  to  the  sea-coast,  where  the  stability  of 
his  government  was  already  precarious,  but  beyond  that 
there  seems  to  be  no  reason  to  suspect  sinister  designs  on  his 
part. 

On  the  opposite  bank  of  Scioto,  in  the  Indian  town,  there 
was  now  but  one  voice — peace  at  any  cost.  When  Cornstalk 
returned  from  the  battle  of  Point  Pleasant,  he  called  a  council 
of  the  nation  to  consult  what  should  be  done,  and  upbraided 
them  for  not  suffering  him  to  make  peace,  as  he  is  said  to 
have  desired,  on  the  evening  before  the  battle.  "What," 
said  he,  "  will  you  do  now  ?  The  Big  Knife  is  coming  on 
11 )  Whittlesey's  Discourse,  1840,  p.  24. 


256  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

us,  and  we  shall  all  be  killed.  Now  you  must  fight  or  we 
are  undone."  But  no  one  answering,  he  said,  "  then  let  us 
kill  all  our  women  and  children  and  go  and  fight  until  we 
die."  Still  no  answer  was  made  ;  when,  rising,  he  struck 
his  tomahawk  in  a  post  of  the  council-house,  and  exclaimed, 
"  I'll  go  and  make  peace,"  to  which  all  the  warriors  grunted, 
"  Ough !  ough !"  and  the  chiefs  immediately  followed  the 
example  of  their  great  leader.  The  appearance  and  oratory 
of  Cornstalk,  when  he  appeared  before  Lord  Dunmore,  is 
thus  described  by  Col.  Wilson,  one  of  the  staff: 

"  When  he  arose,  he  was  no  wise  confused  or  daunted,  but 
spoke  in  a  distinct  and  audible  voice,  without  stammering  or 
repetition,  and  with  peculiar  emphasis.  His  looks,  while 
addressing  Dunmore,  were  truly  grand  and  majestic,  yet 
graceful  and  attractive.  I  have  heard  many  celebrated  ora 
tors,  but  never  one  whose  powers  of  delivery  surpassed  those 
of  Cornstalk  on  this  occasion." 

As  Dunmore  approached  the  Scioto,  the  Indians  had 
besought  him  to  send  an  interpreter,  and  John  Gibson  was 
sent  forward  by  Lord  Dunmore.  He  has  stated  in  an  affidavit 
annexed  to  Jefferson's  Notes,  "  that  on  his  arrival  at  the 
towns,  Logan,  the  Indian,  came  to  where  the  deponent  was 
sitting  with  the  Cornstalk  and  the  other  chiefs  of  the  Shawa- 
nese,  and  asked  him  to  walk  out  with  him ;  that  they  went 
into  a  copse  of  wood,  where  they  sat  down,  when  Logan, 
after  shedding  abundance  of  tears,  delivered  to  him  the 
speech,  nearly  as  related  by  Mr.  Jefferson  in  his  notes  on  the 
State  of  Virginia  ;  that  he,  the  deponent,  told  him  then  that 
it  was  not  Col.  Cresap,  who  had  murdered  his  relations,  and 
that  although  his  son,  Capt.  Michael  Cresap,  was  with  the 
party  that  killed  a  Shawanese  chief  and  other  Indians,  yet  he 
was  not  present  when  his  relations  were  killed  at  Baker's, 


LOGAN'S  SPEECH. 


257 


near  the  mouth  of  Yellow  creek,  on  the  Ohio ;  that  this 
deponent,  on  his  return  to  camp,  delivered  the  speech  to 
Lord  Dunmore  ;  and  that  the  murders  perpetrated  as  above 
were  considered  as  ultimately  the  cause  of  the  war  of  1774, 
commonly  called  Cresap's  war." 

Of  this  speech  or  message,  there  are,  besides  that  of 
Jefferson,  two  versions — one  contained  in  a  letter  from 
Williamsburgh,  Virginia,  dated  February  4,  1775,  and  pre 
served  in  the  American  Archives,  volume  1,  page  1020, 
and  another,  which  was  published  in  New  York,  on  the  IGth 
of  February,  as  an  extract  of  a  letter  from  Virginia.  Jef 
ferson  adopted  the  latter.  Probably  Gibson  noted  down  the 
expressions  of  Logan,  as  uttered  by  him  in  his  simple  Eng 
lish,  and  on  his  return  to  Lord  Dunmore's  camp,  the  officers, 
in  taking  copies,  may  have  modified  an  occasional  cxpres- 
The  different  versions  are  presented  for  comparison: 


sion. 

AVlLLIAMSIiUGII. 

(Feb.  4,  1775.) 
I  appeal  to  any  white 
man  to  say.  that  he  ever 
entered  Logan's  cabin, 
but  I  gave  him  meat; 
that  he  ever  came  naked 
but  I  clothed  him. 


In  the  course  of  the 
last  war,  Logan  remain 
ed  in  his  cabin  an  advo 
cate  for  peace.  I  had 
such  an  affection  for  the 
white  people,  that  I  was 
pointed  at  by  the  rest  of 
my  nation.  I  should 
have  even  lived  with 
them,  had  it  not  been 
for  Col.  Cresap,  who, 
last  year,  cutoff  in  cold 
blood  all  the  relations 
of  Logan,  not  sparing 
women  and  children. 
There  runs  not  a  drop 
of  my  blood  in  the  veins 
of  any  human  creature. 
'This  called  on  me  for 
revenge.  I  have  sought 
it — I  have  killed  many. 
11 


YORK. 

(Feb.  1C,  1775.) 

I  appeal  to  any  white 

man  to  say,  if  ever  he 

entered   Logan's   cabin 

hungry,  and  I  gave  him 


not   meat 


ever  he 


came  cold  and  naked, 
and  I  gave  him  not 
clothing. 

During  the  course  of 
the  last  long  and  bloody 
war,  Logan  remained  in 
his  tent  an  advocate  for 
peace.  Xay,  such  was 
my  love  for  the  whites, 
that  those  of  my  own 
country  pointed  at  me 
as  they  passed  by,  and 
said,  "Logan  is  the 
friend  of  white  men."  I 
had  even  thought  to  live 
with  you,  but  for  the  in 
juries  of  one  man.  Co 
lonel  Cresap,  the  last 
spring,  in  cool  blood  and 
unprovoked,  cut  off  all 
the  relations  of  Logan, 
not  sparing  even  my 
women  and  children. 
There  runs  not  a  drop 


JEFFKKSON. 

(1781-2.) 

I  appeal  to  any  white 
man  to  say,  if  ever  he 
entered  Logan's  cabin 
hungry,  and  he  gave 
him  not  meat;  if  ever 
he  came  cold  and  naked, 
and  he  clothed  him  not. 

During  the  course  of 
the  last  long  and  bloody 
war,  Logan  remained 
idle  in  his  cabin,  an  ad 
vocate  for  peace.  Such 
was  my  love  for  the 
whites, "that  my  coun 
trymen  pointed' as  they 
passed,  and  said,  "  Lo 
gan  is  the  friend  of 
white  men."  I  had  even 
thought  to  have  lived 
with  you.  but  for  the  in 
juries  of  one  man.  Co 
lonel  Cresap,  the  last 
spring,  in  cold  blood  and 
unprovoked,  murdered 
all  the  relations  of  Lo 
gan,  not  even  sparing 
my  women  and  chil 
dren.  There  runs  not 


258  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

and  fully  glutted  my  re-  of  my  blood  in  the  veins  a  drop  of  my  blood  in 
veiige.  I  urn  glad  that  of  any  human  creature,  the  veins  of  any  living 
there  is  a  prospect  of  This  called  on  me  for  creature.  This  called  on 
peace,  on  account  of  the  revenge.  I  have  sought  me  for  revenge.  I  have 
nation;  but  I  beg  you  it.  I  have  fully  glutted  sought  it.  I  have  killed 
will  rot  entertain  a  my  vengeance/  For  my  many.  I  have  fully 
thought  that  any  thing  country,  I  rejoice  at  the  glutted  my  vengeance. 
I  have  said  proceeds  beams  of  peace  Yet,  do  For  my  country,  I  re- 
from  fear!  Logan  dis-  not  harbor  the  thought  joice  at  the  beams  of 
dains  the  thought.  He  that  mine  is  the  joy  of  peace.  But  do  not  liar- 
will  not  turn  on  his  heel  fear.  Logan  neverVelt  bor  a  thought  that  mine 
to  save  his  life.  Who  is  fear.  He  will  not  turn  is  the  joy  of  fear.  Lo 
th  ere  to  mourn  for  Lo-  on  his  heel  to  save  his  gan  never  felt  fear.  He 
gau  ?  No  one.  life.  Who  is  there  to  will  not  turn  on  his  heel 
mourn  for  Logan  ?  Not  to  save  his  life.  Who  is 
one.  there  to  mourn  for  Lo 
gan  '(  Not  one. 

Of  this  production,  Jefferson  says :  "  I  may  challenge  the 
whole  orations  of  Demosthenes  and  Cicero,  and  of  any  more 
eminent  orator,  if  Europe  has  furnished  any  more  eminent, 
to  produce  a  single  passage,  superior  to  the  speech  of  Logan, 
a  Mingo  chief,  to  Lord  Dunmore  when  governor  of  Virginia. " 
It  was  cited  in  refutation  of  the  hypothesis,  that  the  soil  and 
climate  of  America  tended  to  impair  the  vigor,  mental  and 
bodily,  of  the  human  race.  Elsewhere  he  styles  it  a  "mor 
sel  of  eloquence."  Certainly  no  specimen  of  the  kind  has 
been  more  widely  circulated,  or  highly  appreciated. 

At  the  subsequent  conference  at  Camp  Charlotte,  Logan 
did  not  attend,  and  the  Mingoes  were  not  parties  to  the 
peace  there  concluded,  although  their  pledge  to  observe  a 
peace  had  been  communicated  to  Lord  Dunmore.  Little  is 
known  of  this  treaty,  except  that  the  Shawanese  agreed  not 
to  hunt  south  of  the  Ohio,  nor  molest  travelers.  A  strong 
block-house,  strengthened  with  pickets,  was  erected  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Kenawha,  and  a  hundred  men  left  as  its  garri 
son.  Fort  Dunmore  or  Pittsburgh,  received  a  few  troops — 
also  Fort  Fincastle  at  Wheeling.  Lord  Dunmore  was  to 
have  returned  to  Pittsburgh  in  the  spring,  to  meet  the  Indi 
ans,  and  form  a  definite  peace,  but  the  Revolutionary  move 
ments  prevented.  The  army,  which  numbered  about  2500 


SOCIETY    OF   UNITED    BRETHREN.  iiOU 

men,  returned  to  Fort  Gower,  and  thence  proceeded  to 
Western  Virginia,  where  they  were  disbanded. 

Of  the  future  fate  of  Logan,  we  shall  repeat  all  the  evi 
dence  within  our  reach.  Hcckewelder,  in  a  letter  to  Jeffer 
son,  thus  speaks  of  him  after  the  close  of  the  war:  "His 
expressions  from  time  to  time,  denoted  a  deep  melancholy. 
Life  (said  he)  had  become  a  torment  to  him :  he  knew  no 
more  what  pleasure  was ;  he  thought  it  had  been  better  if 
he  had  never  existed.  Report  further  states,  that  he  became 
in  some  measure  delirious,  declared  he  would  kill  himself, 
went  to  Detroit,  and  on  his  way  between  that  place  and 
Miamis,  was  murdered.  In  October,  1781,  (while  as  pris 
oner  on  my  way  to  Detroit,)  I  was  shown  the  spot  where 
this  should  have  happened." 

Mr.  Benjamin  Sharp,  in  1842  a  resident  of  Warren 
county,  Missouri,  communicated  to  the  "American  Pioneer," 
a  narrative  of  the  capture  of  two  of  his  sisters,  with  their 
husbands  and  families,  by  a  band  of  British  and  Indians,  at 
Riddle's  station,  on  the  Licking  in  Kentucky,  some  time  in 
1778.  They  were  taken  prisoners  to  Canada,  but  after 
wards  returned  in  safety  at  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary 
War.  Mr.  Sharp  proceeds:  "The  celebrated  Logan  was 
ivith  this  party:  my  brother-in-law,  Captain  John  Dunkin, 
an  intelligent  man,  had  several  conversations  with  him  on 
this  trip.  He  said  Logan  spoke  both  English  and  French : 
he  told  Captain  Dunkin  that  he  knew  he  had  two  souls,  the 
<me  good  and  the  other  bad ;  when  the  good  soul  had  the 
ascendant,  he  was  kind  and  humane ;  and  when  the  bad  soul 
ruled,  he  was  perfectly  savage,  and  delighted  in  nothing  but 
blood  and  carnage.  The  account  that  Captain  Dunkin  gave 
of  his  death,  was,  that  his  brother-in-law  killed  him  as  they 


260  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

returned  homo  from  a  council  held  at  Detroit,  on  account  of 
some  misusage  he  had  given  his  sister  at  the  council." 

Henry  C.  Brush,  Esq.,  of  Tiffin,  Seneca  county,  has  stated 
on  the  authority  of  Good  Hunter,  an  aged  and  familiar 
acquaintance  of  Logan,  that  his  last  years  were  truly  melan 
choly.  He  wandered  about  from  tribe  to  tribe,  a  solitary 
and  lonely  man ;  dejected  and  broken  hearted  by  the  loss 
of  his  friends,  and  the  decay  of  his  tribe,  he  resorted  to  the 
stimulus  of  strong  drink,  to  drown  his  sorrow.  He  was  at 
last  murdered  in  Michigan,  near  Detroit.  He  was,  at  the 
time,  sitting  with  his  blanket  over  his  head,  before  a  camp 
fire,  his  elbow  resting  on  his  knees,  and  his  head  upon  his 
hands,  buried  in  profound  reflection,  when  tin  Indian,  who 
had  taken  some  offence,  stole  behind  him,  and  buried  his 
tomahawk  in  his  brains. 

Thus  closed  the  mournful  episode  of  the  sorrows,  the  ven 
geance  and  the  fate  of  Logan.  Although  his  motive  was 
personal — the  paroxysm  of  private  grief, — and  therefore  not 
so  imposing  as  the  patriotic  impulse  of  a  Pontiac  or  a  Tecum- 
seh,  yet  the  appeal  to  our  sympathies  is  irresistible ;  while 
the  genius  of  Logan  has  irradiated  the  history  of  his  race  in 
the  annals  of  the  New  World. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  RELATION  OF  THE  WESTERN  TRIBES  TO  THE  REVOLU 
TIONARY  CONTEST. 

THERE  is  no  passage  in  the  history  of  the  struggle  between 
England  and  her  American  colonies,  which  suggests  more 
impressively  the  special  guidance  and  aid  of  Providence,  than 
the  relations  of  the  Indian  tribes.  One  familiar  with  the 
border  wars  of  1755  arid  1763,  would  immediately  anticipate 
a  third  combination  of  all  the  tribes  against  the  inhabitants 
of  the  American  frontier ;  and  if  so,  while  the  Atlantic  cam 
paigns  exhausted  the  resources  of  the  colonies,  the  most  dis 
astrous  consequences  were  more  than  probable.  There  can 
be  no  doubt  that  the  British  agents,  even  prior  to  the  battle 
of  Lexington,  urged  the  Indians  to  side  with  them,  and  assist 
in  subduing  their  rebellious  children. 

The  first  mention  of  the  subject  is  in  the  address  of  the 
Massachusetts  Congress  to  the  Iroquois,  in  April,  1775,  in 
which  they  say,  that  they  hear  the  British  are  exciting  the 
savages  against  the  colonies,  and  they  ask  the  Six  Nations 
to  aid  the  Americans  or  be  neutral ;  and  in  June  following, 
when  James  Wood  visited  the  Western  tribes,  and  invited 
them  to  a  council,  which  he  did  under  the  direction  of  the 
Virginia  House  of  Burgesses,  he  found  that  Governor  Carle- 
ton  had  already  offered  the  alliance  of  England.1 

It  is  not  surprising  that  both  parties  should  estimate  highly 

1)  Perkins'  \Vestcrn  Annals,  p.  153.    x\merican  Archives,  fourth  series, 

iv..  p.  110. 

(261) 


262  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

the  military  power  of  the  savages,  and  their  ability  to  turn 
the  impending  scale  of  the  contest.  At  the  Revolutionary 
period,  Col.  George  Morgan  supposed  that  the  Indians  of 
New  York,  Ohio,  and  the  vicinity  of  the  Lakes,  could  bring 
10,000  warriors  into  the  field,  and  if  a  general  confederacy 
had  been  organized,  the  concurrence  of  attack — by  the  savage 
hordes  on  one  side  and  the  British  armies  on  the  other — might 
have  been  decisive  of  the  result. 

In  their  efforts  to  secure  an  Indian  alliance,  the  English 
had  many  advantages.  Although  Sir  William  Johnson  died 
suddenly  in  June,  1774,  his  son-in-law,  Col  Guy  Johnson, 
had  succeeded  him  as  Superintendent.  His  influence,  and 
that  of  Sir  William's  son  and  heir,  John  Johnson,  were  hostile 
to  the  colonies,  and  with  them  cooperated  the  celebrated  Joseph 
Brant.  Such  powerful  advocacy  was  seconded  by  liberal 
presents,  and  the  English  emissaries  practiced  with  equal  suc 
cess  the  artful  tactics  by  which  the  French  effected  the  pow 
erful  combination  of  1755,  the  first  fruits  of  which  was  the 
defeat  of  Braddock.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Americans 
were  poor  and  distressed  to  provide  means  for  the  army  of 
Washington,  and  the  Indians  were  prompt  to  perceive  the 
disadvantageous  contrast.  Besides,  the  Americans  were  the 
immediate  aggressors  on  the  hunting  domains  of  the  savages, 
and  their  expulsion,  with  English  aid,  seemed  practicable  and 
in  all  respects  desirable. 

The  battle  of  Lexington  was  fought  on  the  20th  of  June, 
1775.  In  July,  of  that  year,  Col.  Guy  Johnson  held  a 
Congress  at  Oswego  with  thirteen  hundred  and  forty  war 
riors,  and  thenceforth  all  the  Six  Nations,  except  the  Oneidas 
and  Tuscaroras,  were  in  close  alliance  with  the  British. 
Joseph  Brant,  at  the  head  of  his  fierce  Mohawks,  was  fore 
most  in  the  league. 


CONTINENTAL   INDIAN   DEPARTMENT.  263 

How  was  it  in  the  valley  of  the  Ohio  ?  Dr.  John  Con 
nolly,  whose  forcible  occupation  of  Pittsburgh  the  year  before 
we  have  noticed,  determined  to  show  his  loyalty  to  the  crown 
of  England,  by  effecting  a  union  of  the  northwestern  Indians 
with  British  troops,  and,  leading  them  from  Detroit,  traverse 
the  frontiers  to  eastern  Virginia,  where  it  was  arranged  that 
he  should  join  Lord  Dunmore.  But  Connolly,  on  his  return 
from  a  visit  to  Gen.  Gage  at  Boston,  where  this  scheme  was 
unquestionably  concocted,  was  arrested  at  Hagarstown,  Mary 
land,  and  detained  a  close  prisoner  until  1781.  Thus,  at 
the  outset,  the  west  was  fortunate  in  its  relief  from  the  in 
trigues  of  an  active  and  unscrupulous  partizan  of  the  British 
crown.'2 

Detroit  soon  became  a  centre  of  British  influence,  but  it 
is  a  remarkable  coincidence  that  the  efforts  of  officers  and 
agents  stationed  there  to  array  the  Indian  tribes  against  the 
Americans,  encountered  an  obstacle  similar  to  the  disagree 
ment  of  the  Oneidas  and  Tuscaroras  to  the  confederacy  of 
the  New  York  tribes.  A  majority  of  the  Delawares,  and  a 
numerous  party  of  the  Shawanese,  were  in  favor  of  neutrality 
in  the  puzzling  contest  between  the  colonies  and  Great  Britain. 
To  strengthen,  and,  if  possible,  extend  this  disposition,  Con 
gress,  in  July,  1775,  organized  three  Indian  departments  ;  a 
northern  one,  including  the  Six  Nations  and  all  north  and 
east  of  them,  to  the  charge  of  which  Gen.  Schuyler,  Oliver 
"VYolcott  and  three  others  w^ere  appointed  ;  a  middle  depart 
ment,  including  the  western  Indians,  who  were  to  be  looked 
to  by  Messrs.  Franklin,  Henry  and  Wilson ;  and  a  southern 
department,  including  all  the  tribes  south  of  Kentucky,  over 
which  commissioners  were  to  preside  under  the  appointment 
of  the  South  Carolina  Committee  of  Safety.  The  commis- 

2)  See  Appendix  No.  VI,  for  further  particulars  of  Connolly's  scheme. 


264  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

sioners  were  to  keep  a  close  watch  upon  the  nations  in  their 
several  departments,  and  upon  the  king's  superintendents 
among  them.  These  officers  they  were  to  seize,  if  they  had 
reason  to  think  them  engaged  in  stirring  up  the  natives 
against  the  colonies,  and  in  all  ways  were  to  seek  to  keep 
them  out  of  the  contest.  A  series  of  conferences  was  held, 
and  Heckewelder  has  preserved  in  his  narrative  a  report  of 
the  talk  at  Pittsburgh  in  October  or  November,  which  the 
Delaware  chiefs  carried  back  to  the  Muskingum  :3 

"  The  commissioners,  having  first  informed  the  chiefs  that 
disputes  had  arisen  between  the  king  of  England  and  the 
people  of  this  country,  and  that  their  quarreling  with  each 
other,  could  not  affect  them  in  any  wise,  provided  they  did 
not  interfere  and  take  a  part  in  it,  they  next  proceeded  to 
state  the  cause  from  whence  the  dispute  had  originated, 
calling  the  same  a  family  dispute,  a  quarrel  between  a  parent 
and  his  child,  which  they  described  as  follows  :  '  Suppose  a 
father  had  a  little  son  whom  he  loved  and  indulged  while 
young,  but  growing  up  to  be  a  youth,  began  to  think  of 
having  some  help  from  him,  and  making  up  a  small  pack,  he 
bid  him  carry  it  for  him.  The  boy  cheerfully  takes  this  pack 
up,  following  his  father  with  it.  The  father  finding  the  boy 
willing  and  obedient,  continues  in  this  way ;  and  as  the  boy 
grows  stronger,  so  the  father  makes  the  pack  in  proportion 
larger, — yet  as  long  as  the  boy  is  able  to  carry  the  pack,  he 
does  so  without  grumbling.  At  length,  however,  the  boy 
having  arrived  at  manhood,  while  the  father  is  making  up  the 
pack  for  him,  in  comes  a  person  of  an  evil  disposition  and 
learning  who  was  to  be  the  carrier  of  the  pack,  advises  the 
father  to  make  it  heavier,  for  surely  the  son  is  able  to  carry  a 
large  pack.  The  father  listening  rather  to  the  bad  adviser, 

3)  Heckewelder 's  Narrative  of  Indian  Missions,  136,  et  scq. 


INDIAN    CONFERENCE    AT    PITTSBURGH.  265 

than  his  own  judgment  and  the  feelings  of  tenderness,  follows 
the  advice  of  the  hard-hearted  adviser,  and  makes  up  a  heavy 
load  for  his  son  to  carry.  The  son  now  grown  up,  examining 
the  weight  of  the  load  he  is  to  carry,  addresses  the  parent  in 
these  words  :  '  Dear  father,  this  pack  is  too  heavy  for  me  to 
carry,  do  pray  lighten  it ;  I  am  willing  to  do  what  I  can,  but 
am  unable  to  carry  this  load.'  The  father's  heart  by  this 
time  having  become  hardened,  and  the  bad  adviser  calling 
to  him  to  whip  him  if  he  disobeys  and  refuses  to  carry  the 
pack,  now  in  a  peremptory  tone,  orders  his  son  to  take  up 
the  pack  and  carry  it  off,  or  he  will  whip  him ;  and  already 
takes  up  a  stick  to  beat  him.  '  So,'  says  the  son,  '  am  I  to 
be  served  thus,  for  not  doing  what  I  am  unable  to  do  ?  Well, 
if  entreaties  avail  nothing  with  you,  father,  and  it  is  to  be 
decided  by  blows,  whether  I  am  able  or  not  to  carry  a  pack 
so  heavy,  then  I  have  no  other  choice  left  me,  but  of  resisting 
your  unreasonable  demand  by  my  strength ;  and  thus,  by  strik 
ing  each  other,  learn  who  is  the  strongest.'  '  The  foregoing 
parable  was  intended  to  make  the  colonial  dispute  clear  to 
the  savage  pack-carriers,  and  was  probably  concocted  by  that 
adept  in  allegory,  Benjamin  Franklin.  It  was  not  unappre 
ciated  by  those  to  whom  it  was  directed. 

This  Pittsburg  conference  was  attended  by  Delawares, 
Senecas,  and  a  portion  of  the  Shawanese.  One  of  the  Dela 
ware  chiefs,  Captain  White  Eyes,  boldly  advocated  the  Amer 
ican  cause,  to  the  great  annoyance  of  some  Senecas,  who  were 
in  the  British  interest,  and  had  come  to  Pittsburg  to  induce 
the  Delawares  to  follow  the  example  of  the  New  York  tribes. 
These  Seneca  Indians  reminded  White  Eyes,  in  a  haughty 
tone,  that  the  Delawares  were  subordinate  to  the  Six  Nations, 
when  Captain  White  Eyes,  (as  reported  by  Heckewelder,) 
"  long  since  tired  of  tins  language,  with  his  usunl  spirit  and 
1-2 


266  IIISTOllY    OF   OHIO. 

an  air  of  disdain,  rose  and  said,  '  he  well  knew  that  the  Six 
Nations  considered  his  nation  as  a  conquered  people,  and  their 
inferiors.'  '  You  say  (said  he)  that  you  had  conquered  me,4 
that  you  had  cut  off  my  legs — had  put  a  petticoat  on  me, 
giving  me  a  hoe  and  cornpounder  in  my  hands,  saying,  Now 
woman !  your  business  henceforward  shall  be  to  plant  and 
hoe  corn,  and  pound  the  same  for  bread  for  us  men  and  war 
riors.  Look  (continued  White  Eyes)  at  my  legs ;  if  as  you 
say,  you  had  cut  them  off,  they  have  grown  again  to  their 
proper  size  !  the  petticoat  I  have  thrown  away,  and  have  put 
on  my  own  proper  dress !  the  corn  hoe  and  pounder  I  have 
exchanged  for  these  fire-arms,  and  I  declare  that  I  am  a 
man.'  Then  waiving  his  hand  in  the  direction  of  the  Alle- 
ghany  River,  he  exclaimed,  '  and  all  the  country  on  the  other 
side  of  that  river  is  mine.''  ' 

This  spirited  declaration  by  White  Eyes  was  seized  as  a 
pretext  for  a  separation  of  the  war  party  among  the  Delawares, 
who  were  mostly  the  Monsie  or  Wolf  tribe.  These,  led  by 
the  Monsie  chief,  Newalike,  and  Captain  Pipe,  left  the  Mus- 
kingum,  where  the  peace  chiefs  lived,  and  withdrew  towards 
Lake  Erie,  into  the  more  immediate  vicinity  of  the  English 
and  their  allies.  The  Delaware  chiefs,  who  sustained  White 
Eyes'  course  in  the  council,  were,  Netawatwes,  who  was  de 
posed  by  Col.  Bouquet  because  he  refused  to  attend  the  con 
ferences  on  Muskingum  in  1764,  and  whose  son  and  nephew 
had  been  recently  converted  to  Christianity,  Gelelemend  or 
Killbuck,  and  Machingwi  Puschiis  or  Big  Cat  and  others, 
who  (says  Heckewelder,)  did  every  thing  in  their  power 
to  preserve  peace  among  the  nations,  by  sending  embassies, 
and  exhorting  them  not  to  take  up  the  hatchet,  or  to  join 

4)  It  must  be  remarked  that  the  Indian  orators  always  speak  in  the  singu 
lar  number,  though  meaning  the  nation. 


MISSIONARY    INFLUENCE.  267 

either  side,  to  which,  however,  the  Sandusky  Wyandots  in 
solently  replied,  "  that  they  advised  their  cousins,  the  Dela- 
wares,  to  keep  good  shoes  in  readiness  to  join  the  warriors." 
This  message  being  returned  to  them  by  the  Delaware  coun 
cil,  with  the  admonition  "  to  set  down  and  reflect  on  the 
misery  they  had  brought  upon  themselves  by  taking  an  active 
part  in  the  late  Avar  between  the  English  and  the  French," 
was  also  carried  to  the  Wyandots  near  Detroit,  but  having 
been  delivered  by  White  Eyes  in  the  presence  of  the  English 
Governor,  the  latter  treated  the  Delaware  deputies  with  much 
indignity. 

Another  Delaware  chief,  whose  influence  was  decidedly 
for  peace,  was  Welapachtschiechen,5  or  Captain  John.  He 
was  from  the  Hockhocking,  and  had  been  detained  as  a  pris 
oner  at  Fort  Pitt  by  Col.  Bouquet,  but  in  April,  1776,  ivas 
converted  to  Christianity,  and  declined  his  chiefship. 

Heckewelder  enumerates  the  Christian  Indians  at  the 
close  of  1775,  as  four  hundred  and  fourteen  persons,  and 
there  is  no  doubt  that  we  owe  to  their  pacific  principles  and 
example,  that  the  powerful  Delaware  tribe,  with  the  excep 
tions  already  mentioned,  were  restrained  from  joining  the 
hostile  league,  which  soon  embraced  all  the  Ohio  Indians, 
except  a  few  Shawanese.  It  was  the  influence  of  a  mission 
ary,  Kirkland,  which  concluded  the  treaty  at  German  Flats 
on  the  28th  of  June,  1775,  by  which  the  Oneidas  and  Tus- 
caroras  gave  to  the  Americans  their  pledge  of  neutrality;6 
and  on  the  western  border,  it  was  a  missionary,  Zeisberger, 
who,  by  his  timely  colonization  of  the  Muskingum  in  1772, 

5)  Meaning  "  erect  posture." 

6)  James  Dean,  the  founder  of  Westmoreland,  Oneida  county,  New  York, 
no  less  than  Samuel  Kirkland.  was  influential  in  securing  the  friendship  of 
the  Oneidas.    We  have  compiled  (Appendix  No.  VII,)  the  allusions  to  his 
efforts  and  adventurer  which  occur  in  the  American  Archives,  fourth  series. 


HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

was  indirectly  influential,  three  years  afterwards,  in  remov 
ing  the  keystone  of  a  hostile  league  of  all  the  tribes  from  the 
Cherokees  to  the  Chippewas,  against  the  struggling  colo 
nies.  It  is  our  firm  belief,  that  if  God  had  not  placed  those 
devoted  messengers  of  the  gospel  in  the  interior  of  New 
York,  and  on  the  Muskingum  of  central  Ohio,  respectively, 
at  the  precise  period,  and  in  the  precise  circumstances  of  the 
case,  that  an  indomitable  host  of  Indian  warriors  would  have 
penetrated  to  the  heart  of  the  Atlantic  States,  simultaneously 
with  the  lowest  depression  of  the  American  army.  At  a 
later  period,  even  the  Delawares  were  swept  into  the  vortex 
of  hostilities,  but  fortunately  the  French  alliance  had  then 
been  consummated,  invigorating  the  army  and  the  country — 
the  rumor  of  which  was  most  potential  upon  the  Indian  tribes 
and  European  colonists  of  the  W abash,  the  Illinois,  the  Mis 
sissippi,  and  even  the  lakes. 

If  we  mistake  not,  Samuel  Kirkland  sleeps  in  the  valley 
of  the  Oriskany,  and  the  grave  of  David  Zeisberger  is  visible 
near  the  Muskingum — spots  alike  worthy  of  patriotic  com 
memoration.  Few  who  bore  arms  in  the  revolutionary  strug 
gle,  contributed  more  than  they  to  its  fortunate  progress  and 
consummation. 

Fortunately  also  for  the  United  States,  Col.  George  Mor 
gan  of  Princeton,  New  Jersey,  was  appointed  Indian  agent 
for  the  middle  department,  with  his  headquarters  at  Pitts 
burgh,  in  April,  1776.  He  is  described  in  Hildreth's  Pio 
neer  History,  as  "  a  man  of  unwearied  activity,  great  perse 
verance,  and  familiar  with  the  Indian  manners  and  habits; 
having  for  several  years  had  charge  of  a  trading  post  in  the 
Illinois,  after  that  country  was  given  up  by  the  French, 
which  was  owned  by  a  commercial  house  in  Philadelphia. 
His  frank  manners,  soldierly  bearing,  generosity,  and.  above 


COL.  GEOKGE  MORGAN'S  INDIAN  AGENCY.          2b'9 

all,  his  strict  honesty  in  all  his  dealings  with  them,  won  their 
fullest  confidence ;  and  no  white  man  was  ever  more  highly 
esteemed  than  was  Col.  Morgan,  by  all  the  savages  who  had 
any  intercourse  with  him.  He  was  a  native  of  Philadelphia, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  appointment,  held  the  post  of  Colonel 
in  the  army  of  the  United  States."  As  we  shall  see  here 
after,  this  praise  is  not  exaggerated.  The  Delawares  gave 
the  name  of  Tamenend  to  Col.  Morgan,  which,  according  to 
Heckewelder,  was  the  highest  praise  they  could  confer. 

For  nearly  two  years,  the  judicious  and  conciliatory  course 
of  Morgan  prevented  a  general  attack  upon  the  frontier.  It 
was  a  gloomy  period,  nevertheless,  but  marked  by  more 
apprehension  of  danger,  than  was  in  fact  experienced.  The 
friendly  dispositions  of  the  Delawares  and  some  of  the  Shaw- 
anese  and  Wyandots,  led  them  to  advise  the  agent  at  Pitts 
burgh,  of  the  hostile  expeditions  from  the  vicinity  of  Detroit 
and  Lake  Erie,  and  vigilant  measures  in  abandoning  or  pro 
tecting  an  exposed  situation,  were  usually  successful.  It  was 
known  that  the  British  were  making  extraordinary  efforts  to 
mature  a  formidable  Indian  campaign,  but  the  explosion  yet 
lingered.  Still  there  were  not  wanting  instances  of  savage 
barbarity,  which  suggested  measures  of  retribution,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1777,  Patrick  Henry,  then  governor  of  Vir 
ginia,  had  resolved  to  send  an  expedition  under  the  command 
of  Col.  David  Shepherd,  arid  Maj.  Henry  Taylor,  to  invade 
the  country  west  of  the  Ohio,  and  especially  to  chastise  a 
mongrel  band  of  Indians,  only  sixty  or  eighty  in  number, 
whose  village  on  the  head  waters  of  the  Scioto  was  called 
Pluggy's  Town,  from  the  name  of  their  chief.  Governor 
Henry,  in  a  letter  to  Col.  Morgan,  dated  March  12,  1777, 
was  explicit  in  thus  defining  the  destination  of  the  party, 
which  was  to  consist  of  three  hundred  men.  The  Wyandots 


''270  lllSTUKY    ui1    U111U. 

were  not  yet  in  arms,  though  understood  to  be  fully  commit 
ted  to  Governor  Hamilton  of  Detroit.  But  the  agent  at 
Pittsburgh,  even  then,  was  conscious  that  the  utmost  circum 
spection  was  requisite,  or  calamitous  consequences  would  be 
precipitated,  and,  jointly  with  John  Nevill,  he  replied  in 
terms,  of  which  an  extract  will  forcibly  indicate  the  feverish 
condition  of  the  border.  After  assuring  Gov.  Henry  that 
the  most  effectual  measures  to  aid  the  expedition,  if  under 
taken,  should  be  pursued,  Colonel  Morgan  and  his  colleague 
added : 

"  We  nevertheless  wish  we  were  left  more  at  liberty  to 
exercise  our  judgments,  or  to  take  advice  on  the  expediency 
and  practicability  of  the  undertaking  at  this  critical  time : 
for  although  we  are  persuaded,  from  what  has  already  passed 
between  Col.  Morgan  and  our  allies,  the  Delawares  and  Shaw- 
anese,  that  they  would  wish  us  success  therein ;  yet  we  ap 
prehend  the  inevitable  consequences  of  this  expedition  will  be 
a  general  Indian  war,  which  we  are  persuaded  it  is  the  inter 
est  of  the  State  at  this  time  to  avoid,  even  by  the  mortifying 
means  of  liberal  donations  to  certain  leading  men  among  the 
nations,  as  well  as  by  calling  them  again  to  a  general  treaty. 
And  if  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  should  judge  it  prudent 
to  take  some  steps  to  gratify  the  Six  Nations  in  regard  to 
the  encroachments  made  on  their  lands  on  the  northwestern 
frontier  of  that  State,  of  which  they  have  so  repeatedly  com 
plained,  we  hope  and  believe  it  would  have  a  salutary  effect. 
The  settlement  of  the  lands  on  the  Ohio,  below  the  Kenhawa 
and  at  Kentucky,  gives  the  western  nations  great  uneasiness. 
How  far  the  State  of  Virginia  may  judge  it  wise  to  withdraw 
or  confine  those  settlements  for  a  certain  term  of  years  or  dur 
ing  the  British  war,  is  too  delicate  a  matter  for  us  to  give  an 
opinion ;  but  we  have  reason  to  think  that  the  measures  we 


MUKDEll    OF    CORNSTALK.  2 

have  (though  perhaps  out  of  the  strict  line  of  our  duty)  pre 
sumed  to  hint  at,  would  not  only  tend  greatly  to  the  happiness 
of  this  country,  but  to  the  interest  of  the  whole  State  ;  more 
especially  if  measures  can  be  taken  to  treat  the  different 
nations  in  all  respects  with  justice,  humanity,  and  hospitality ; 
for  which  purpose,  and  to  punish  robberies  and  murders  com 
mitted  on  any  of  our  allies,  some  wholesome  orders  or  acts 
of  government  may  possibly  be  necessary ;  for  parties  have 
been  formed  to  massacre  some  who  have  come  to  visit  us  in 
a  friendly  manner,  and  others  who  have  been  hunting  on  their 
own  lands,  the  known  friends  to  the  commonwealth.  These 
steps,  if  continued,  will  deprive  us  of  all  our  Indian  allies, 
and  multiply  our  enemies.  Even  the  spies  who  have  been 
employed  by  the  county-lieutenants  of  Monongahela  and  Ohio, 
seem  to  have  gone  on  this  plan,  with  a  premeditated  design  to 
involve  us  in  a  general  Indian  war  ;  for  on  the  13th  of  March, 
at  day-break,  five  or  six  of  these  spies  fired  on  three  Delaware 
Indians  on  this  side  the  Delaware  town,  between  that  and 
Wheeling,  and  out  of  the  country  or  track  of  our  enemies. 
Luckily  all  the  Indians  escaped,  only  one  of  them  was  wounded, 
and  that  slightly  in  the  wrist.' ' 

Col.  Morgan,  in  the  same  letter,  anticipates  no  attack  from 
Detroit  or  Sandusky,  there  being  no  garrison  at  the  latter 
place,  and  but  sixty-six  soldiers  at  Detroit,  from  whence  by 
land  to  Fort  Pitt  is  near  three  hundred  miles,  impassable  by 
artillery,  and  all  that  country  (he  is)  told  could  not  furnish 
to  an  enemy  of  one  thousand  men,  sufficient  provisions  or 
horses,  for  such  an  expedition. 

If  the  Shawanese,  or  any  portion  of  the  tribe,  were  dis 
posed  to  be  allies  of  the  Americans,  as  Morgan  intimates,  an 
event  soon  occurred,  which  extinguished  any  such  sentiment. 
The  revolutionary  annals  of  the  Ohio  valley  have  many  dark 


HISTORY    OF    0111U. 

stains,  but  none  of  deeper  dye  than  the  massacre  of  the  heroic 
Cornstalk.  That  magnanimous  chief,  after  the  treaty  of  1774 
with  Dunmore,  had  been  the  steadfast  friend  of  neutrality 
among  the  belligerent  whites.  Perhaps  he  had  the  sagacity 
to  perceive  that  the  future  of  his  race  could  not  be  altered 
by  any  issue  of  the  controversy — that  the  rapacity  of  Euro 
peans,  not  of  a  party,  was  the  proper  object  of  patriotic  dread. 
In  the  spring  of  1777,  Cornstalk,  accompanied  by  Red 
Hawk  (the  reader  will  remember  the  Shawanese  orator  at 
the  council  held  by  Col.  Bouquet,  in  1764,)  came  on  a 
friendly  visit  to  the  fort  at  Point  Pleasant,  communicated  the 
hostile  disposition  among  the  Ohio  tribes,  and  expressed  his 
sorrow  that  the  Shawanese  nation,  except  himself  and  his 
tribe,  were  determined  to  espouse  the  British  side,  and  his 
apprehension  that  he  and  his  people  would  be  compelled  to 
go  with  the  stream,  unless  the  Long  Knives  could  protect 
them. 

Upon  receiving  this  information,  the  commander  of  the 
garrison,  Captain  Arbuckle,  seized  upon  Cornstalk  and  his 
companion  as  hostages  for  the  peaceful  conduct  of  his  nation, 
and  set  about  availing  himself  of  the  advantage  he  had  gained 
by  his  suggestions.  During  his  captivity,  Cornstalk  held 
frequent  conversations  with  the  officers,  and  took  pleasure  in 
describing  to  them  the  geography  of  the  west,  then  little 
known.  One  afternoon,  while  he  was  engaged  in  drawing 
on  the  floor  a  map  of  the  Missouri  territory,  its  water  courses 
and  mountains,  a  halloo  was  heard  from  the  forest,  which  he 
recognized  as  the  voice  of  his  son,  Ellinipsico,  a  young  war 
rior,  whose  courage  and  address  were  almost  as  celebrated 
as  his  own.  Ellinipsico  entered  the  fort  and  embraced  his 
father  most  affectionately,  having  been  uneasy  at  his  long 
absence,  and  come  hither  in  search  of  him. 


M 1 KJD EK    U i'    C OKS CsT.A L K .  Zib 

The  day  after  his  arrival,  two  men  belonging  to  the  fort, 
whose  names  were  Hamilton  and  Gilmore,  crossed  the  Ken- 
hawa,  intending  to  hunt  in  the  woods  beyond  it.  On  their 
return  from  hunting,  some  Indians,  who  had  come  to  view 
the  position  at  the  Point,  concealed  themselves  in  the  weeds 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Kenhawa,  and  killed  Gilmore  while 
endeavoring  to  pass  them.  Col.  Stewart  (who  was  at  the 
post  in  the  character  of  a  volunteer)  was  standing  on  the 
opposite  bank  of  the  river  at  the  time,  and  was  surprised 
that  a  gun  had  been  fired  so  near  the  fort  in  violation  of 
orders. 

Hamilton  ran  down  the  bank,  and  cried  out  that  Gilmore 
was  killed.  Captain  Hall  commanded  the  company  to  which 
Gilmore  belonged.  His  men  leaped  into  a  canoe  and  has 
tened  to  the  relief  of  Hamilton.  They  brought  the  body  of 
Gilmore,  weltering  in  blood  and  the  head  scalped,  across  the 
river.  The  canoe  had  scarcely  reached  the  shore,  when  the 
cry  was  raised,  "Kill  the  red  dogs  in  the  fort!"  Captain 
Hall  placed  himself  in  front  of  his  soldiers,  and  they  ascended 
the  river's  bank,  pale  with  rage,  and  carrying  their  loaded 
firelocks  in  their  hands.  Colonel  Stewart  and  Captain  Ar- 
buckle  exerted  themselves  in  vain  to  dissuade  the  men,  exas 
perated  to  madness  by  the  spectacle  of  Gilmore's  corpse, 
from  the  cruel  deed  which  they  contemplated.  They  cocked 
their  guns,  threatening  those  gentlemen  with  instant  death 
if  they  did  not  desist,  and  rushed  into  the  fort. 

The  interpreter's  wife,  who  had  been  a  captive  among  the 
Indians,  and  felt  an  affection  for  them,  ran  to  their  cabin 
and  informed  them  that  Hall's  soldiers  were  advancing,  with 
the  intention  of  taking  their  lives,  because  they  believed  that 
the  Indians  who  killed  Gilmore  had  come  with  Cornstalk's 
son  on  the  preceding  clay.  Tins  the  young  man  solemnly 


"274  UISTOKY    01'    OHIO. 

denied,  declaring  that  he  had  come  alone,  and  with  the  sole 
object  of  seeking  his  father.  When  the  soldiers  came  within 
hearing,  the  young  warrior  appeared  agitated.  Cornstalk 
encouraged  him  to  meet  his  fate  composedly,  and  said  to 
him,  "  My  son,  the  Great  Spirit  has  sent  you  here  that  we 
may  die  together."  He  turned  to  meet  his  murderers  the 
next  instant,  and  receiving  seven  bullets  in  his  body,  expired 
without  a  groan. 

When  Cornstalk  had  fallen,  Ellinipsico  continued  still 
and  passive,  not  even  raising  himself  from  his  seat.  He 
met  death  in  that  position  with  the  utmost  calmness.  The 
Red  Hawk  made  an  attempt  to  climb  the  chimney,  but  fell 
by  the  fire  of  some  of  Hall's  men. 

The  day  before  his  death,  Cornstalk  had  been  present  at 
a  council  of  the  officers,  and  had  spoken  to  them  on  the 
subject  of  the  war,  with  his  own  peculiar  eloquence.  In  the 
course  of  his  remarks,  he  expressed  something  like  a  pre 
sentiment  of  his  fate  ;  "When  I  was  young,"  he  said,  "  and 
went  out  to  war,  I  often  thought  each  would  be  my  last 
adventure,  and  I  should  return  no  more.  I  still  lived.  Now 
I  am  in  the  midst  of  you,  and  if  you  choose,  you  may  kill 
me.  I  can  die  but  once.  It  is  alike  to  me  whether  now  or 
hereafter." 

His  atrocious  murder  was  dearly  expiated.  The  warlike 
Shawanese  were  thenceforth  the  foremost  in  excursions  upon 
the  frontier,  particularly  the  scattered  and  exposed  stations 
of  Kentucky. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

BORDER  WAR  OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 

WE  have  forborne,  with  some  effort  of  self-denial,  to  enlarge 
upon  the  early  explorations  and  occupation  of  Kentucky  by 
the  whites.  We  have  paused  on  the  margin  of  the  Ohio  as 
the  boundary  of  our  subject,  as  well  as  of  the  state  whose 
introductory  annals  constitute  our  special  theme ;  but  with 
a  full  consciousness  of  the  fascinating  interest  which  invests 
pioneer  life  in  Kentucky.  The  solitary  wanderings  of  Boone 
and  Kcnton  as  early  as  1769,  in  the  valleys  of  the  Kentucky 
and  Licking,  where  immense  herds  of  buffalo  sought  the 
Saline  springs — the  adventures  of  Knox  and  his  band  of 
forty  hunters  who  crossed  the  Appalachian  chain  in  1770, 
and  explored  the  wild  and  broken  region  lying  upon  the 
northern  boundaries  of  Tennessee — Boone's  repulse  by  the 
Indians,  when,  in  177-3,  he  attempted  to  remove  five  families 
besides  his  own,  from  the  Yadkin  in  North  Carolina  to  the 
banks  of  the  Kentucky — the  settlements  of  the  McAfees, 
Thomas  Bullett,  Hancock,  Taylor,  James  Douglas,  Colonel 
Floyd  and  others  also  in  1772 — the  foundation  of  Harrods- 
burg  by  the  solitary  log  cabin  of  James  Harrod  in  1774 — 
the  claim  of  Richard  Henderson  to  the  lands  lying  between 
the  Kentucky  and  Cumberland  Rivers,  by  a  grant  from  the 
Cherokee  Indians,  and  under  which,  notwithstanding  the 
protest  of  Virginia  afterwards  successfully  enforced,  the  col 
ony  of  Transylvania  was  organized  on  the  23d  of  May,  1775 
— the  arrival  of  four  American  women,  Mrs.  Boone.  Mrs. 


HISTORY    Ui-     OHIO. 

McGary,  Mrs.  Denton,  and  Mrs.  Hogan,  at  Boonesborough 
in  September,  1775 — the  rapid  increase  of  emigration  thence 
forth — the  appointment  of  George  Rogers  Clark,  and  one 
Gabriel  Jones,  in  June,  1776,  at  a  little  Congress  assembled 
in  Boonesborough,  to  represent  Kentucky  in  the  Assembly 
of  Virginia — at  length,  after  a  year's  suspense  and  appre 
hension,  excited  by  occasional  outbreaks  of  Indian  hostility, 
the  frightful  scenes  of  1777,  when  the  Shawanese  once  more, 
as  in  1774,  ravaged  the  settlements: — this  succession  of 
events,  although  of  thrilling  interest,  we  must  dismiss  with 
the  most  cursory  allusion. 

As  we  have  said,  the  murder  of  Cornstalk  terminated  all 
uncertainty,  and  precipitated  the  savages  over  the  Kentucky 
and  Virginia  border.  At  the  close  of  1777,  only  three  set 
tlements  existed  in  the  interior  of  Kentucky — Harrodsburg, 
Boonesborough  and  Logan's — and  of  these  three,  the  whole 
military  population,  did  not  exceed  one  hundred  and  two  in 
number.  It  was  a  year  of  siege,  of  struggle,  of  suffering — 
but  the  gloomy  months  elicited  some  extraordinary  instances 
of  heroism  and  humanity.  We  read  of  James  Ray.  a  lad  of 
sixteen,  loading  an  old  horse  with  the  game  which  he  shot 
by  day,  remote  from  Harrodsburg,  and  silently  stealing  into 
the  besieged  fort  at  night,  whence,  however,  he  would  again 
emerge  before  the  next  dawn,  thus  for  weeks  saving  the  dis 
tressed  garrison  from  starvation — of  Benjamin  Logan,  break 
ing  from  the  shelter  of  a  block  house,  into  a  tempest  of  rifle 
balls,  to  rescue  a  wounded  comrade  who  had  been  surprised 
by  an  ambush  of  savages :  and  of  a  journey  of  four  hundred 
miles,  through  a  wilderness  swarming  with  war  parties  of 
Indians,  and  across  the  mountains  to  the  settlements,  to 
obtain  ammunition  for  his  beleaguered  companions,  success 
fully  accomplishing  his  hazardous  errand.  Such,  and  similar 


SIEGE    OF    FORT    HENRY.  '1 M 

occurrences,  which  tradition  fondly  cherishes,  are  the  romance 
of  history. 

The  month  of  September  witnessed  the  siege  of  Wheeling. 
Here,  where  the  Zanes  had  settled  in  1770,  Fort  Fincastle 
(so  called  from  the  western  county  of  Virginia,)  was  estab 
lished  by  Lord  Dunmore  in  1774.  The  name  was  changed 
in  17 70,  to  Fort  Henry,  in  honor  of  Patrick  Henry,  then 
Governor  of  Virginia,  and  this  fort  was  the  central  point 
between  Fort  Pitt  and  the  stockade  at  the  mouth  of  Ken- 
hawa.  In  the  early  autumn  of  1777,  Colonel  Hand,  who 
commanded  at  Fort  Pitt,  was  informed  that  a  large  body  of 
the  northwestern  Indians  was  preparing  to  attack  the  posts 
of  the  Upper  Ohio.  On  the  evening  of  September  26,  smoke 
was  seen  by  those  near  Wheeling,  down  the  river,  and  was 
supposed  to  proceed  from  the  burning  of  the  block  house  at 
Grave  Creek,  and  the  people  of  the  vicinity,  taking  the 
alarm,  repaired  to  the  fort.  Here  were  assembled  forty-two 
fighting  men,  well  supplied  with  rifles  and  muskets,  but  with 
a  scanty  supply  of  gunpowder.  Early  on  the  27th,  two  men, 
who  were  sent  out  for  horses,  for  the  purpose  of  alarming 
neighboring  settlements,  and  had. proceeded  some  distance 
from  the  fort,  met  a  party  of  six  savages,  by  whom  one  of 
them  was  shot.  The  commandant,  Col.  Shepherd,  learning 
from  the  survivor,  that  there  were  but  six  of  the  assailants, 
sent  a  party  of  fifteen  men  in  pursuit.  These  were  led  into 
an  ambush,  where,  completely  surrounded,  all  but  three 
were  killed.  Still  another  band  of  thirteen  men  rushed  from 
the  fort  to  the  assistance  of  their  comrades,  and  shared  their 
fate.  It  was  now  sunrise,  and  four  hundred  Indians,  led  by 
Simon  Girty,  soon  invested  the  fort,  which  was  defended  by 
only  twelve  men  and  boys. 

Fort  Henry  stood  immediately  upon  the  bank  of  the  Ohio, 


278  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  above  the  mouth  of  Wheeling 
creek.  Between  it  and  the  steep  river  hill  on  the  east,  were 
twenty  or  thirty  log  huts,  which  the  Indians  occupied,  and 
challenged  the  garrison  to  surrender.  Colonel  Shepherd 
refused,  and  the  attack  commenced.  From  sunrise  until 
noon,  the  fire  on  both  sides  was  constant,  when  that  of  the 
assailants  slackened.  Within  the  fort,  the  only  alarm  was 
for  the  want  of  powder,  and  then  it  was  remembered  that  a 
keg  was  concealed  in  the  house  of  Ebenezer  Zane,  some 
sixty  yards  distant.  It  was  determined  to  make  an  effort  to 
obtain  it,  and  the  question,  "Who  will  go?"  was  proposed. 
Then  occurred  an  incident  which  is  related  as  follows  by  Mr. 
G.  S.  McKiernan,  in  the  American  Pioneer:1 

"  At  this  crisis,  a  young  lady,  the  sister  of  Ebenezer  and 
Silas  Zane,  came  forward  and  desired  that  she  might  be 
permitted  to  execute  the  service.  This  proposition  seemed 
so  extravagant  that  it  met  with  a  peremptory  refusal ;  but 
she  instantly  renewed  her  petition  in  terms  of  redoubled 
earnestness,  and  all  the  remonstrances  of  the  Colonel  and 
her  relatives  failed  to  dissuade  her  from  her  heroic  purpose. 
It  was  finally  represented  to  her  that  either  of  the  young 
men,  on  account  of  his  superior  fleetness  and  familiarity  with 
scenes  of  danger,  would  be  more  likely  than  herself  to  do 
the  work  successfully.  She  replied  that  the  danger  which 
would  attend  the  enterprise  was  the  identical  reason  that 
induced  her  to  offer  her  services,  for,  as  the  garrison  was 
very  weak,  no  soldier's  life  should  be  placed  in  needless 
jeopardy,  and  that  if  she  were  to  fall  her  loss  would  not  be 
felt.  Her  petition  was  ultimately  granted,  and  the  gate 
opened  for  her  to  pass  out.  The  opening  of  the  gate  arrested 
the  attention  of  several  Indians  who  were  straggling  through 

1)  Vol.  ii..  p.  309. 


SIEGE    OF   FORT   HENRY.  279 

the  village.  It  was  noticed  that  their  eyes  were  upon  her 
as  she  crossed  the  open  space  to  reach  her  brother's  house ; 
but  seized,  perhaps,  with  a  sudden  freak  of  clemency,  or 
believing  that  a  woman's  life  was  not  worth  a  load  of  gun 
powder,  or  influenced  by  some  other  unexplained  motive,  they 
permitted  her  to  pass  without  molestation.  When  she  reap 
peared  with  the  powder  in  her  arms,  the  Indians,  suspecting, 
no  doubt,  the  character  of  her  burden,  elevated  their  fire 
locks  and  discharged  a  volley  at  her  as  she  swiftly  glided 
towards  the  gate  ;  but  the  balls  all  flew  wide  of  the  mark, 
and  the  fearless  girl  reached  the  fort  in  safety  with  her  prize. 
The  pages  of  history  may  furnish  a  parallel  to  the  noble 
exploit  of  Elizabeth  Zane,  but  an  instance  of  greater  self- 
devotion  and  moral  intrepidity  is  not  to  be  found  any 
where."2 

The  assault  was  resumed  with  much  fierceness,  and  con 
tinued  until  evening.  A  party  of  eighteen  or  twenty  Indians, 
armed  with  rails  and  billets  of  wood,  rushed  forward  and 
attempted  to  force  open  the  gate  of  the  fort,  but  were 
repulsed  with  the  loss  of  six  or  eight  of  their  number.  As 
darkness  set  in,  the  fire  of  the  savages  grew  weaker,  though 
it  was  not  entirely  discontinued  until  next  morning.  Soon 
after  nightfall,  a  considerable  party  of  Indians  advanced 
within  sixty  yards  of  the  fort,  bringing  with  them  a  hollow 
maple  log,  which  they  had  converted  into  a  cannon  by  plug 
ging  up  one  of  its  ends  with  a  block  of  wood.  To  give  it 
additional  strength,  a  quantity  of  chains,  taken  from  a  black 
smith's  shop,  encompassed  it  from  end  to  end.  It  was  heavily 
charged  with  powder,  and  then  filled  to  the  muzzle  with 

•J)  ':  Elizabeth  Zane  afterwards  lived  about  two  miles  above  Bridgeport, 
on  the  Ohio  side  of  the  river,  near  Martinsville,  in  Belmont  county.  She 
was  twice  married — first  to  Mr.  McLaughlin.  and.  secondly,  to  Mr.  Clark." 
— llotce's  (inio  Historical  Collections,  61. 


280  HISTOKY    OF    OHIO. 

pieces  of  stones,  slugs  of  iron,  and  such  other  hard  substances 
as  could  be  found.  The  cannon  was  graduated  carefully  to 
discharge  its  contents  against  the  gate  of  the  fort.  When 
the  match  was  applied,  it  burst  into  many  fragments,  and 
although  it  made  no  effect  upon  the  fort,  it  killed  and  wounded 
several  of  the  Indians  who  stood  by  to  witness  its  discharge. 
A  loud  yell  succeeded  the  failure  of  this  experiment,  and 
the  crowd  dispersed. 

Late  in  the  evening,  Francis  Duke,  a  son-in-law  of  Col. 
Shepherd,  arrived  from  the  forks  of  Wheeling,  and  was  shot 
down  by  the  Indians  before  he  could  reach  the  gate  of  the 
fort.  Early  next  morning,  Col.  Swearingen,  with  fourteen 
men  from  Cross  creek,  and  Major  Samuel  McCullough,  with 
forty  mounted  men  from  Short  creek,  succeeded  in  reaching 
the  inclosure,  except  Major  McCullough  himself,  who  was 
not  permitted  to  pass  the  gateway.  After  a  perilous  pursuit, 
Putnam-like,  he  baffled  the  Indians,  by  dashing  his  horse 
down  an  almost  perpendicular  precipice  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  descent,  with  Wheeling  creek  at  its  base,  arid  so 
made  his  escape. 

After  the  escape  of  Major  McCullough,  the  Indians  con 
centrated  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and  soon  after  set  fire  to  all 
the  houses  and  fences  outside  of  the  fort,  and  killed  about 
three  hundred  head  of  cattle  belonging  to  the  settlers.  They 
then  raised  the  siege  and  disappeared. 

This  band  were  principally  Wyandots,  with  some  Mingoes 
and  Shawanese,  and  their  loss  is  estimated  at  from  sixty  to 
one  hundred.  The  total  number  of  Americans  killed  was 
twenty-six,  and  four  or  five  were  wounded.  During  the 
investiture  of  the  fort,  not  a  man  within  the  walls  was  killed, 
and  only  one  slightly  wounded. 

This  attack  upon  Fort  Henry  indicates  decisively  that  the 


DELAWARE   NEUTRALITY.  281 

Wyandots,  Ottawas,  Mingoes  and  Shawanesc  were  engaged 
in  open  hostilities  against  the  Americans  in  the  autumn  of 
1777  ;  and  about  the  same  time,  the  Delawares  began  to 
waver  in  their  resolution  to  observe  a  neutrality.  A  report 
was  circulated  that  Col.  Hand,  who  had  recently  been  ap 
pointed  to  the  command  at  Pittsburgh,  was  about  to  march, 
with  a  body  of  American  troops,  to  attack  Goschocking,  the 
Delaware  town  at  the  forks  of  the  Muskingum.  Captain 
Pike's  party  was  immediately  on  the  alert,  and  he  declared 
that  he  would  join  the  Wyandots  to  repel  the  Americans. 
Very  soon,  however,  friendly  speeches  were  received  from 
the  commandant  at  Pittsburgh  and  Col.  Morgan,  assuring 
the  Delawares  that  they  had  nothing  to  fear.  Notwithstand 
ing  these  assurances,  the  American  officers  were  unable  to 
restrain  a  party  of  freebooters  from  the  Ohio  settlements, 
who  were  proceeding  in  October  to  destroy  the  Delaware 
towns,  when  they  were  encountered  by  a  party  of  Wyandots, 
and  defeated  with  great  slaughter.  It  can  be  readily  con 
ceived  that  such  an  outrage  would  exasperate  the  Delawares 
and  make  it  almost  impossible  to  prevent  an  offensive  alliance 
with  the  Wyandots  and  Shawanese.  The  war-party  increased 
daily.  During  the  winter  of  1777-8,  Alexander  McKee, 
Matthew  Elliott  and  Simon  Girty3  made  their  appearance  in 

3)  These  names  will  occur  so  frequently  that  some  other  than  incidental 
notice  of  them  may  be  expected. 

Alexander  McKce  had  been  an  Indian  agent  of  the  British  government ; 
and,  when  here  mentioned,  had  been  permitted  to  go  at  large  on  parol, 
which  he  forfeited  by  leaving  Pittsburgh  at  this  time. 

Mathew  Elliott  was  an  Indian  trader,  and  we  first  hear  of  him  in  1774,  as 
an  envoy  to  Lord  Dunmore  from  the  submissive  Shawanese.  He  continued 
to  traverse  the  Indian  country  as  a  trader,  but  after  the  war  between  England 
and  the  colonies,  he  received  a  commission  as  a  British  captain.  He  con 
cealed  this  fact,  however,  and  was  once  taken  prisoner  by  a  party  of  San- 
dusky  warriors,  but  was  of  course  liberated  at  Detroit.  On  his  return  to 
Pittsburgh  he  endeavored  to  deceive  the  inhabitants  and  authorities  with 
"  12* 


282  1IISTOKY    OF    OHIO. 

the  Muskingum  towns,  with  the  false  intelligence  that  the 
English  were  completely  victorious,  and  that  the  Americans, 
driven  to  the  westward,  were  about  to  wage  an  indiscriminate 
war  against  the  Indians.  This  redoubled  the  activity  of 
Captain  Pipe,  and  great  consternation  prevailed  among  the 
Delawares.  The  peace-chief,  White  Eyes,  saw,  with  much 
concern,  that  an  overwhelming  majority  of  his  nation,  under 
the  influence  of  McKee  and  his  associates,  were  resolved 
upon  war,  but  he  did  not  lose  his  self-possession.  Knowing 
that  his  conduct  was  closely  watched  by  his  astute  rival, 
Captain  Pipe,  White  Eyes  called  a  general  council  of  the 
nation,  in  which,  when  assembled,  he  proposed  to  delay  hos 
tilities  against  the  Americans  for  ten  days,  in  order  to  obtain 
further  information,  either  from  Tamenend,  (Col.  Morgan) 
Col.  Gibson,  or  some  other  friend.  Pipe,  thinking  that  the 

regard  to  his  real  character,  by  boasting  of  his  ingenuity  in  having  pro 
cured  his  liberation  from  the  British.  In  the  winter  of  1777,  McKee  and 
Elliott  seemed  to  have  absconded  from  Pittsburgh,  and  were  thenceforth 
the  avowed  emissaries  of  the  British,  as  we  find  above. 

There  were  three  Girtys — Simon,  George  and  James.  They  were  taken 
prisoners  from  Pennsylvania  about  1755,  and  adopted  into  different  tribes. 
Simon  became  a  Seneca;  and,  although  a  white  savage,  was  not  incapable 
of  humane  conduct,  and  was  scrupulously  exact  in  the  redemption  of  his 
word.  James  was  adopted  by  the  Shawanese,  and  seems  to  have  been  an 
unmitigated  monster.  George  was  adopted  by  the  Delawares,  and  belonged 
to  that  small  fragment  of  the  tribes  who  were  constantly  engaged  in  the 
campaigns  against  the  settlements.  The  trio  were  desperate  drunkards. 

Early  in  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  the  Girtys,  like  their  Indian  brethren, 
were  undecided  how  to  act.  Even  in  the  summer  of  1777,  James  Girty  was 
the  medium  of  speeches  and  presents  from  the  Americans,  to  atone  for  the 
murder  of  Cornstalk  ;  while  Simon  Girty  acted  as  interpreter  for  the  United 
States  on  many  occasions.  About  1777,  however,  both  brothers  had  been 
seduced  by  the  British  emissaries,  and  are  known  to  border  tradition  as 
renegades.  This  is  hardly  just.  They  should  not  be  regarded  otherwise 
than  as  Indians  of  their  respective  tribes.  Such  had  been  their  training — 
their  education.  They  were  white  savages — nothing  else — and  the  active 
partisans  of  Great  Britain  for  the  rest  of  the  century. 


A    CRISIS    AT    COSHOCTON.  283 

moment  had  arrived  to  destroy  the  influence  of  White  Eyes, 
or  "place  him  in  the  back  ground,"  as  Hecke welder  ex 
presses  it,  summoned  the  warriors  together,  and  proposed 
"  to  declare  every  man  an  enemy  to  the  nation  who  should 
throw  an  obstacle  in  the  way  that  might  tend  to  prevent  the 
taking  up  arms  against  the  American  people."  White  Eyes, 
seeing  the  blow  aimed  against  himself,  once  more  assembled 
his  men  and  told  them,  u  That  if  they  meant  in  earnest  to 
go  out,  (as  he  observed  some  of  them  were  preparing  to  do) 
they  should  not  go  without  him.  He  had  taken  peace  meas 
ures  in  order  to  save  the  nation  from  utter  destruction.  But 
if  they  believed  that  lie  was  in  the  wrong,  and  gave  more 
credit  to  vagabond  fugitives,  whom  he  knew  to  be  such,  than 
to  himself,  who  was  best  acquainted  with  the  real  state  of 
things — if  they  had  determined  to  follow  their  advice,  and 
go  out  against  the  Americans,  he  would  go  out  with  them, 
but  not  like  the  hear  hunter,  who  sets  the  dogs  on  the  animal 
to  be  beaten  about  with  his  paws  while  he  keeps  at  a  safe 
distance.  ISTo  !  he  would  himself  lead  them  on,  place  him 
self  in  the  front,  and  be  the  first  who  should  fall.  They 
only  had  to  determine  what  they  meant  to  do,  for  his  own 
mind  was  fully  made  up  not  to  survive  the  nation  ;  and  he 
would  not  spend  the  remainder  of  a  miserable  life  in  bewail 
ing  the  total  destruction  of  a  brave  people  who  deserved  a 
better  fate." 

This  spirited  address  of  White  Eyes  had  the  desired  effect ; 
all  declared  that  they  would  wait  until  the  ten  days  were 
expired,  and  many  added  that  they  never  would  go  to  war 
against  the  American  people  unless  they  had  him  for  a  leader. 

It  so  happened  that  our  old  friend,  John  Heckewelder, 
had  been  dispatched  in  February,  1778,  by  the  Moravians 
of  Bethlehem,  with  instructions  to  repair  to  Pittsburgh,  and, 


284  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

if  possible,  to  the  Muskingum,  and  ascertain  the  condition 
and  prospects  of  the  Ohio  missionaries  and  their  flocks.  He 
bore  a  passport  from  Henry  Laurens,  the  President  of  Con 
gress,  and,  upon  his  arrival  at  Pittsburgh,  found  the  officer 
in  command,  Col.  Hand,  and  the  Indian  agent,  Col.  Morgan, 
extremely  solicitous  lest  the  machinations  of  McKee,  Elliott 
and  Girty  should  result  in  the  total  alienation  of  the  Dela- 
wares.  They  had  sought  in  vain  for  a  trusty  messenger  to 
bear  their  pacific  messages — the  risk  of  death  from  the 
numerous  war  parties  of  Indians  being  so  imminent.  The 
devoted  Heckewelder,  "after  due  consideration  during  a 
night,"  determined  to  undertake  the  hazardous  journey.  He 
was  accompanied,  he  says,  "by  a  white  man,  brother  John 
Shabosch,  who  had  married  an  Indian  sister,  and  whose 
family  resided  at  Gnadenhuttcn."  We  shall  continue  the 
narrative  of  their  subsequent  adventures  in  the  words  of 
Heckewelder  himself : 

"  Accordingly,  in  the  morning,"  as  his  narrative  proceeds, 
"  we  made  known  our  resolution  to  Cols.  Hand  and  Gibson, 
whose  best  wishes  for  our  success  we  were  assured  of,  and 
leaving  our  baggage  behind,  and  turning  a  deaf  ear  to  all 
entreaties  of  well-meaning  friends,  who  considered  us  lost  if 
we  went,  we  crossed  the  Alleghany  River,  and  at  eleven 
o'clock  in  the  night,  after  the  third  day,  reached  Gnaden- 
hutten,  after  having  several  times  narrowly  escaped  falling 
in  with  war-parties.  Indeed,  in  one  instance,  we  were  en 
camped  on  the  Big  Beaver,  near  its  mouth,  when  a  party  of 
warriors  in  that  very  night  were  murdering  people  on  Raccoon 
creek,  not  many  miles  distant  from  where  we  were,  though  we 
were  ignorant  of  the  circumstances  at  that  time.  We  had 
traveled  all  day  and  night,  only  leaving  our  horses  time  to  feed. 
We  crossed  the  Big  Beaver,  which  had  overflowed  its  banks. 


A    CRISIS    AT    COSIIOOTON.  285 

on  a  raft  we  had  made  of  poles.  Other  large  creeks  on  the 
way  we  swam  with  our  horses — never  attempting  to  kindle  a 
fire,  fearing  lest  we  might  be  discovered  by"  the  warriors 
perceiving  the  smoke.  When  arrived  within  a  few  miles  of 
Gnadenhutten,  we  distinctly  heard  the  beat  of  a  drum,  and 
on  drawing  near,  the  war-song  of  an  Indian  party  :  all  which 
being  in  the  direction  of  the  town,  we  naturally  concluded 
that  the  Christian  Indians  must  have  moved  off;  wherefore 
we  proceeded  with  caution,  lest  we  should  fall  into  the  hands 
of  the  warriors.  However,  the  people  still  there  informed 
us  that  the  war-party  consisted  of  Wyandots  from  Sandusky, 
who  arrived  that  evening,  and  were  encamped  on  the  bluff 
two  miles  below  the  town,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river ; 
and  who  probably  would  the  next  morning  travel  along  the 
path  we  had  just  come. 

"Fatigued  as  we  were,  after  our  journey,  and  without  one 
hour  of  sound  sleep,  I  was  now  requested  by  the  inhabitants 
of  Gnadenhutten,  to  proceed  immediately  to  Goschoching, 
about  thirty  miles  distant.  At  that  place,  all  was  trouble  and 
confusion ;  and  many  were  preparing  to  go  off  to  fight  the 
American  people,  in  consequence  of  the  advice  given  them  by 
McKee,  Elliott  and  Girty  ;  who  had  told  them  that  the  Ameri 
cans  were  embodying  themselves  at  this  time,  for  the  purpose 
of  killing  every  Indian  they  should  meet  with,  be  he  friend  or 
foe.  We  were  further  informed  that  Captain  White  Eyes  had 
been  threatened  with  death,  if  he  persisted  in  vindicating  the 
character  of  the  American  people :  many  believing  the  sto 
ries  propagated  by  McKee  and  his  associates,  had,  in  conse 
quence  already  shaved  their  heads,  ready  to  lay  on  the  war- 
plume,  and  turn  out  to  war,  as  soon  as  the  ten  days,  which 
White  Eyes  had  desired  them  to  wait,  should  have  expired ; 
and  to-morrow  being  the  ninth  day,  and  no  message  having 


286  HISTORY  or  OHIO. 

arrived  from  their  friends  at  Pittsburgh,  they  were  now  pre 
paring  to  go;  and  further,  that  this  place,  Gnadenhutten 
was  now  breaking  up,  and  its  inhabitants  were  to  join  the 
congregation  at  Lichtenan :  they  having  been  assured  that 
they  were  not  safe,  even  for  one  day,  from  an  attack  by  the 
Americans,  while  they  remained  here.  Finding  the  matter 
so  very  urgent,  and  admitting  of  not  even  a  day's  delay,  I 
consented  to  proceed.  After  enjoying  a  few  hours'  repose, 
and  furnished  with  a  trusty  companion  and  a  fresh  horse, 
between  three  and  four  in  the  evening,  the  national  assistant, 
John  Martin,  being  called  on  for  the  purpose,  we  sat  out, 
swimming  our  horses  across  the  Muskingum  River,  and 
taking  a  circuit  through  the  woods,  in  order  to  avoid  the 
encampment  of  the  war  party,  which  was  close  to  our  path. 
Arriving  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  within  sight  of 
Goschoching,  a  few  yells  were  given  by  a  person  who  had 
discovered  us,  to  notify  the  inhabitants  that  a  white  man  was 
coming.  This  immediately  drew  the  whole  body  of  the  Indi 
ans  into  the  street;  but  although  I  saluted  them  in  passing, 
not  a  single  person  returned  the  compliment ;  which,  as  my 
conductor  observed,  was  no  good  omen.  Even  Captain 
White  Eyes  and  the  other  chiefs,  who  had  always  befriended 
me,  now  stepped  back,  when  I  reached  out  my  hand  to  them. 
This  strange  conduct  would  have  disheartened  me,  had  I  not 
observed  among  the  crowd,  some  men  well  known  to  me  as 
spies  of  Captain  Pipe,  watching  the  actions  of  these  peace- 
chiefs.  I  was  therefore  satisfied,  that  they  were  acting  from 
policy,  and  not  from  any  ill  will  against  me  personally. 
Indeed,  on  looking  round,  I  thought  I  could  read  joy  in  the 
countenances  of  many  of  them,  on  seeing  me  among  them  at 
so  critical  a  juncture,  when  they  had  been  told  but  a  few 
days  before,  that  nothing  short  of  their  destruction  had  been 


IIECKEWELDEK  CONCILIATES  THE  DELAWAKE3.          287 

determined  upon  by  the  long  knives  (the  Virginians  or  Amer 
ican  people.)  Yet  as  no  one  would  reach  out  his  hand  to 
me,  I  inquired  into  the  cause:  when  Captain  White  Eyes, 
boldly  stepping  forward,  replied :  '  That  by  what  had  been 
told  them  by  McKee  and  his  party,  they  no  longer  had  a 
single  friend  among  the  American  people :  if,  therefore,  this 
be  so,  they  must  consider  every  white  man  who  came  to 
them  from  that  side  as  an  enemy,  who  came  but  to  deceive 
them,  and  to  put  them  off  their  guard,  in  order  to  give  an 
enemy  an  opportunity  to  take  them  by  surprise.'  I  replied 
that  the  imputation  was  unfounded,  and  that  were  I  not 
their  friend,  they  would  have  never  seen  me  here.  'Then,' 
continued  White  Eyes,  '  will  you  tell  us  the  truth  with  regard 
to  what  I  ask?'  On  my  having  assured  him  of  this,  he 
asked  me :  'Are  the  American  armies  all  cut  to  pieces  by 
the  English  troops?  Is  General  Washington  killed?  Is 
there  no  more  a  Congress;  and  have  the  English  hung  some 
of  them,  and  taken  the  rest  to  England  to  hang  them  there  ? 
Is  the  whole  country  beyond  the  mountains  in  the  posses 
sion  of  the  English ;  and  are  the  few  thousand  Americans, 
who  have  escaped  them,  now  embodying  themselves  on  this 
side  of  the  mountains  for  the  purpose  of  killing  all  the  Indi 
ans  in  this  country,  even  our  women  and  children?  Now 
do  not  deceive  us,  but  speak  the  truth ;  is  all  this  true  that  I 
have  been  saying  to  you  ? ' 

"I  declared  before  the  whole  assembly,  that  not  one 
word  of  what  he  had  just  now  told  me  was  true ;  and  held 
out  to  him,  as  I  had  done  before,  the  friendly  speeches  sent 
for  them  by  me ;  which  he  however  refused  to  accept,  prob 
ably  from  prudential  considerations.  I  thought  by  the  coun 
tenances  of  most  of  the  bystanders,  that  the  moment  bade 
fair  for  their  listening  at  least  to  the  contents  of  these 


288  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

speeches,  and  accidentally  catching  the  drummer's  eye,  I 
called  to  him  to  beat  the  drum  for  the  assembly  to  meet,  for 
the  purpose  of  hearing  what  their  American  brethren  had  to 
say  to  them.  There  was  a  general  smile  of  approbation; 
and  White  Eyes,  thinking  the  favorable  moment  had  arrived, 
asked  the  assembly,  '  Shall  we,  my  friends  and  relations, 
listen  once  more  to  those  who  call  us  their  brethren  ? '  The 
question  was  answered  almost  by  acclamation:  the  drum 
was  beat,  and  the  whole  body  repaired  to  the  council  house. 
The  speeches,  all  of  which  were  of  the  most  pacific  nature, 
were  read  and  interpreted  to  them:  when  Captain  White 
Eyes  rose,  and  in  a  long  address,  took  particular  notice  of 
the  good  disposition  of  the  American  people  towards  the 
Indians;  observing  that  they  had  never  as  yet  called  on 
them  to  fight  the  English,  knowing  that  wars  were  destruc 
tive  to  nations ;  and  that  they  (the  Americans)  had,  from 
the  beginning  of  the  war  to  the  present  time,  always  advised 
the  Indians  to  remain  quiet,  and  not  to  take  up  the  hatchet 
against  either  side.  A  newspaper  containing  the  capitula 
tion  of  General  Burgoyne's  army,  being  found  enclosed  in 
the  packet,  White  Eyes  again  rose,  and  holding  the  paper 
unfolded  with  both  his  hands,  so  that  all  could  have  a  view 
of  it,  said,  '  See,  my  friends  and  relatives,  this  document 
contains  great  events;  not  the  song  of  a  bird,  but  the  truth.' 
Then  stepping  up  to  me,  he  gave  me  his  hand ;  saying,  'you 
arc  welcome  with  us,  brother.'  Every  one  present  immedi 
ately  followed  his  example." 

But  for  the  expedition  of  Heckewelder,  and  the  foregoing 
interview,  the  spring  of  1778  would  have  inevitably  recruited 
the  Indian  allies  of  Great  Britain  with  the  Delawares  of 
Ohio.  It  is  interesting,  also,  to  mark  the  reverberation  of 
the  victory  at  Saratoga  (its  date  was  October  17,  1777,) 


BTJRGOYNE'S  SURRENDER.  289 

in  the  western  wilderness.  The  surrender  of  Burgoyne, 
which,  in  the  old  world,  led  to  the  recognition  of  American 
Independence  by  France,  and  the  presentiment  in  England 
that  the  colonies  were  lost,  was  not  without  its  salutary  influ 
ence  upon  the  savage  denizens  of  the  Ohio  and  the  other 
tributaries  of  the  mighty  Mississippi. 

The  aiFair  at  Saratoga  was  of  some  use  to  the  Indian 
agent  at  Pittsburgh.  The  Spanish  Governor  of  Louisiana, 
addressed  a  letter  written  in  his  own  language,  to  Colonel 
Morgan,  which  was  dated  August  9th,  1777,  but  only 
received  "  by  due  course,"  on  the  24th  of  February,  1778. 
Unluckily,  the  agent  knew  no  Spanish,  and  on  forwarding  it 
to  Congress,  not  a  member  of  that  honorable  body  could 
read  it,  nor  (as  the  Colonel  reluctantly  confessed  in  his 
reply)  could  any  person  be  found  capable  and  worthy  of 
trust  to  translate  it.  As  it  was,  Col.  Morgan  replied  to 
Don  Bernardo  de  Galvez  in  sturdy  English,  detailing  with 
much  patriotic  unction,  what  White  Eyes  had  justly  denomi 
nated  the  "great  event"  of  Burgoyne's  surrender. 


18 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

THE  CONQUEST  OF  ILLINOIS  BY  GEORGE  ROGERS  CLARK. 
INDIAN  SIEGES  OF  FORT  LAURENS. 

DURING  the  years  1777-8  the  conviction  had  been  forced 
upon  Congress,  that  Detroit  must  be  taken,  or  the  English 
governor  of  that  post  checked  in  some  manner,  or  a  heavy 
blow  would  fall  upon  the  colonial  cause  from  the  depths  of  the 
Western  wilderness,  which,  in  connection  with  the  pressure 
of  the  seaboard  might  be  fatal  to  the  United  States.  Early 
in  the  spring  of  1778,  preparations  for  an  invasion  of  the 
enemy's  territory  were  commenced.  Col.  Morgan  was  in 
structed  to  make  an  estimate  of  the  quantity  of  provisions 
necessary  for  the  support  of  three  thousand  men  for  three 
months.  "  The  stock  to  be  laid  in  amounted  to  610,000  Ibs. 
of  flour,  732,000  Ibs.  beef,  requiring  8,812  horses  for  the 
transport  of  the  flour,  and  2,440  head  of  cattle,  which  were 
to  be  driven  on  foot  and  slaughtered  as  needed.  It  also 
required  136  horses  to  transport  the  single  article  of  salt. 
The  food  for  the  horses  and  cattle  was  to  be  chiefly  furnished 
by  the  native  growth  of  grass,  vines,  &c.,  found  in  abun 
dance  at  that  day  during  the  summer  months  on  the  rich  lands 
of  the  West.  The  whole  expense  of  this  expedition  was 
estimated  at  $609,538.  The  cattle  cost  at  that  time  X10, 
or  $33.33  a  head  :  the  horses  cost  £25,  or  $83.25  each. 
Flour  was  fifty  shillings  a  hundred,  or  sixpence  a  pound, 
equal  to  sixteen  dollars  a  barrel.  The  price  of  a  common 
woodman's  axe  was  thirty  shillings,  or  five  dollars,  and  the 

(290) 


291 

price  of  a  pack  saddle  was  the  same.  Salt  was  six  pounds 
a  bushel  or  twenty  dollars.  These  were  specie  prices,  not 
estimated  in  a  depreciated  currency."1 

A  similar  division  of  the  army  of  invasion  was  proposed, 
as  was  made  by  Dunmore  in  1774.  Fifteen  hundred  men 
were  to  march  through  Green  Briar,  down  the  Big  Kenawha 
to  Fort  Randolph,  at  the  junction  with  the  Ohio,  and  the  same 
force  was  to  assemble  at  Fort  Pitt  and  descend  the  Ohio  to 
that  post.  In  fact,  the  former  detachment  was  never  levied, 
and  Gen.  Mclntosh,  who  was  appointed  to  the  command  of 
the  expedition,  had  never  a  greater  force  than  fifteen  hundred 
men,  if  so  many.  In  the  spring  of  1778,  he  crossed  the 
mountains  with  a  body  of  five  hundred  troops.  Soon  after, 
he  built  a  fort  which  bore  his  name,  on  the  alluvian  plain 
near  the  mouth  of  Big  Beaver,  intended  to  cover  any  excur 
sion  into  the  Indian  country.  It  was  a  regular  stockade, 
with  four  bastions,  each  mounted  with  a  six-pounder. 

The  summer  wore  away,  and  on  the  17th  of  September, 
a  council  with  the  Delawares  was  held  at  Pittsburg,  and  their 
consent  to  march  through  their  territory  obtained.  Of  this 
conference,  Col.  Morgan,  who  was  absent  at  Philadelphia  when 
it  was  held,  says  in  a  letter  written  soon  afterwards  :  "  There 
never  was  a  conference  with  the  Indians  so  improperly  or  so 
villainously  conducted  as  the  late  one  at  Pittsburg."  The 
assurances  given  to  the  Delawares  wrere  so  wantonly  neglec 
ted,  that  Col.  Morgan  had  great  difficulty  in  preventing  a 
total  alienation  of  the  tribe.  To  conciliate  their  chiefs,  they 
were  encouraged  to  visit  Congress  in  the  spring  of  1779. 

In  October,  1778,  General  Mclntosh  assembled  one  thou 
sand  men  at  the  newly  erected  fort  at  the  mouth  of  Beaver, 
and  marched  into  the  enemy's  country.  The  design  upon 
1 )  Hildreth's  Pioneer  History. 


292  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

Detroit  had  been  relinquished,  and  the  first  object  of  the 
expedition  was  to  attack  the  Wyandots  and  other  Indians 
near  Sandusky.  After  marching  about  seventy  miles  beyond 
Fort  Mclntosh,  the  troops  halted  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
Tuscarawas  River,  a  little  below  the  mouth  of  Sandy  creek. 
Here,  on  a  elevated  plain,  it  was  concluded  to  build  a  stock 
ade,  which  was  named  Fort  Laurens.  After  its  completion, 
a  garrison  of  150  men  was  placed  in  it,  arid  left  in  the  charge 
of  Col.  John  Gibson,  while  the  rest  of  the  army  returned  to 
Fort  Pitt.  So  unexpected  and  rapid  were  the  movements  of 
Gen.  Mclntosh,  that  the  Indians  were  not  aware  of  his  pres 
ence  in  their  country,  until  the  fort  wTas  completed. 

Fortunately  for  the  safety  of  the  frontiers — fortunately 
for  the  Republic,  while  this  languid  and  inefficient  campaign 
disappointed  the  hopes  of  Congress  on  the  upper  Ohio,  George 
Rogers  Clark  was  achieving  the  happiest  results  in  the  region 
of  the  Wabash  and  the  Illinois.  This  hero  of  Kentucky  divides 
the  military  honors  of  the  Northwestern  Territory,  with 
Anthony  Wayne  alone.  The  men  were  not  unlike — the  same 
combination  of  energy  and  sagacity. 

Clark  was  born  in  Albemarle  county,  Virginia,  in  1743  : 
was  in  Dunmore's  expedition  of  1774,  and  among  the  earliest 
emigrants  to  Kentucky ;  in  1776,  had  the  boldness  to  urge 
upon  the  people  of  the  border  to  demand  assistance  from 
Virginia  or  independence  of  her  dominion,  and  obtained  five 
hundred  pounds  of  gunpowder  for  immediate  defence,  which 
the  province  transported  to  Fort  Pitt :  was  authorized,  in 
January,  1778,  to  raise  a  body  of  troops  for  the  reduction  of 
the  English  posts  of  Kaskaskia  and  St.  Vincents  ;  and,  re 
turning  to  the  west  with  his  instructions  and  twelve  hundred 
pounds  of  depreciated  currency,  was  able  to  recruit  only  a 
force  of  two  hundred  men.  With  three  companies  and  several 


293 

private  adventurers,  Clark  at  length  commenced  his  descent 
of  the  Ohio,  which  he  navigated  as  far  as  the  falls,  where  he 
took  possession  of  and  fortified  Cora  Island,  opposite  the  spot 
now  occupied  by  Louisville.  At  this  place  he  had  appointed 
Capt.  Joseph  Bowman  to  meet  him  with  such  recruits  as  had 
reached  Kentucky  by  the  southern  route,  and  as  many  men 
as  could  be  spared  from  the  stations.  Here,  also,  he  an 
nounced  the  real  destination  of  the  expedition.  Having 
waited  until  his  arrangements  were  all  completed,  and  those 
chosen  who  were  to  be  of  the  invading  party,  on  the  24th  of 
June,  during  a  total  eclipse  of  the  sun,  he  left  his  position 
and  fell  down  the  river.  His  plan  was  to  follow  the  Ohio  as 
far  as  the  old  French  fort,  Massac,  or  Massacre,  about  sixty 
miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river ;  and  thence  to  go  by  land 
direct  to  Kaskaskia.  His  troops  took  no  other  baggage  than 
they  could  carry  in  the  Indian  fashion,  and  for  his  success  he 
trusted  entirely  to  surprise.  If  he  failed,  his  plan  was  to 
cross  the  Mississippi  and  throw  himself  into  the  Spanish  set 
tlements  on  the  west  of  that  river.  Before  commencing  his 
march,  Clark  received  two  items  of  information  which  were 
of  much  service  in  his  subsequent  operations.  One  of  these 
was  the  alliance  of  France  with  the  colonies  ;  this  at  once 
made  the  American  side  popular  with  the  French  and  Indians 
of  Illinois  and  the  lakes,  France  having  never  lost  her  hold 
upon  her  ancient  subjects  and  allies.  The  other  item  was, 
that  the  inhabitants  of  Kaskaskia,  and  the  other  old  towns, 
had  been  led  by  the  British  to  believe  that  the  Long  Knives, 
or  A7irginians,  were  the  most  fierce,  cruel,  and  blood-thirsty 
savages  that  ever  scalped  a  foe.  With  this  impression  on 
their  mind,  Clark  saw  that  proper  management  would  readily 
dispose  them  to  submit  from  fear,  if  surprised,  and  then  to 


294  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

become  friendly  from  gratitude,  when  treated  with  unlooked- 
for  clemency. 

At  midnight  of  the  sixth  day  after  leaving  the  Ohio,  July 
3,  they  reached  the  precincts  of  Kaskaskia,  having  marched 
two  days  without  food,  and  determined  forthwith  to  take  the 
town  or  die  in  the  attempt.  The  town  was  strongly  fortified, 
and  contained  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  well-built  houses ; 
but  the  approach  of  the  invaders  was  unknown ;  the  people 
and  the  garrison  were  alike  slumbering  in  security  ;  and  both 
town  and  fort  were  taken — the  latter  being  carried  by  sur 
prise,  although  the  defences  were  sufficiently  strong  to  resist 
a  thousand  men.  The  commanding  officer,  Phillip  Roche- 
blave,  was  made  prisoner  ;  and  among  his  papers,  falling  into 
the  hands  of  Col.  Clark,  were  the  instructions  which  he  from 
time  to  time  had  received  from  the  British  governors  of 
Quebec,  Detroit  and  Michillimacinac,  urging  him  to  stimulate 
the  Indians  to  war  by  the  proffer  of  large  bounties  for  scalps. 
Rocheblave  was  sent  a  prisoner  to  Williamsburgh,  Virginia, 
and  with  him  were  forwarded  the  papers  taken  from  his 
portfolio. 

On  the  day  after  the  fall  of  Kaskaskia,  Captain  Joseph 
Bowman,  at  the  head  of  thirty  mounted  men,  was  sent  to 
attack  three  other  towns  upon  the  Mississippi,  the  first  of 
which,  called  Parraderuski,  distant  fifteen  miles  from  Kas 
kaskia,  was  surprised,  and  taken  without  opposition  —  the 
inhabitants  at  once  assenting  to  the  terms  of  the  conqueror. 
The  next  town  was  St.  Phillips,  distant  nine  miles  farther  up. 
The  force  of  Captain  Bowman  was  so  small,  that  he  wisely 
determined  to  make  a  descent  upon  St.  Phillips  in  the  night, 
that  his  strength,  or  rather  his  weakness,  might  be  concealed. 
The  precaution  ensured  success ;  and  the  inhabitants,  with 
whom  the  whole  affair  was  conducted  in  the  night,  acceded 


OLAKK'S  ILLINOIS  EXPEDITION.  295 

to  the  terms  prescribed.  From  St.  Phillips,  Bowman  directed 
his  course  upon  the  yet  more  considerable  town  of  Cahokia, 
distant  between  forty  and  fifty  miles.  This  town  contained 
about  one  hundred  families,  and  was  also  approached  secretly, 
and  entered  in  the  night.  Captain  Bowman,  with  his  troops, 
rode  directly  to  the  quarters  of  the  commander,  and  deman 
ded  the  surrender  of  himself  and  the  whole  town,  which  was 
immediately  complied  with.  Taking  possession  of  a  large 
store-house,  well  fortified,  the  bold  dragoon  immediately 
established  his  quarters  therein,  and  awaited  the  morning's 
dawn,  which  would  disclose  to  the  people  the  diminutive  force 
to  which  they  had  surrendered.  Enraged  at  the  discovery, 
one  of  the  enemy  threatened  to  bring  a  body  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  Indians  against  the  little  American  squadron  and 
cut  them  off.  But  he  was  secured,  and  in  the  course  of  ten 
days  upwards  of  three  hundred  of  the  inhabitants  became  so 
reconciled  to  their  change  of  masters  as  to  take  the  oath  of 
allegiance  to  the  United  States.  Leaving  a  small  guard  at 
Cahokia,  Captain  Bowman  returned  to  Kaskaskia. 

But  St.  Vincents,  the  most  important  western  post  except 
Detroit,  still  remained  unconquered,  nor  could  Clark,  with 
his  small  force,  hope  to  obtain  possession  of  it,  as  he  must 
of  necessity  be  for  some  time  near  the  Mississippi,  to  organ 
ize  a  government  for  the  colonies  he  had  taken,  and  treat 
with  the  Indians  of  the  northwest.  But  the  French  priest 
of  Kaskaskia  volunteered  to  bring  over  the  inhabitants  of  St. 
Vincents  (now  Vincennes)  to  the  cause  of  the  Americans 
without  fighting.  Hardly  believing  it  possible,  Clark  dis 
missed  him  on  this  embassy.  The  British  governor  was 
absent,  and  M.  Gibault  succeeded  entirely.  In  two  or  three 
days  after  his  arrival,  the  inhabitants  threw  off  the  British 
government,  and,  assembling  in  a  body  in  the  church,  took 


296  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

the  oath  of  allegiance  to  Virginia.  A  commandant  was 
chosen,  and  the  American  flag  displayed  over  the  fort,  to  the 
astonishment  of  the  Indians.  The  savages  were  told  by 
their  French  friends,  "  that  their  old  Father,  the  king  of 
France,  was  come  to  life  again,  and  was  mad  with  them  for 
fighting  for  the  English  ;  that  if  they  did  not  wish  the  land 
to  be  bloody  with  war,  they  must  make  peace  with  the 
Americans."2 

But  Clark's  skill  in  Indian  diplomacy  was  no  less  remark 
able  than  his  gallantry.  By  an  attentive  study  of  the 
Indian  character,  he  had  learned  to  combine  dignity  and 
firmness  with  that  respectful  and  ceremonious  behavior  which 
pleases  the  pride  and  vanity  of  the  savage.  The  following 
speech  to  the  tribes  of  the  Wabash  was  well  adapted  to 
convey  a  conception  of  the  causes  of  the  war  between  the 
United  States  and  England  : 

"  The  Big  Knife  is  very  much  like  the  red  people  ;  they 
don't  know  how  to  make  blankets,  and  powder  and  cloth ; 
they  buy  these  things  from  the  English,  from  whom  they  are 
sprung.  They  live  by  making  corn,  hunting  and  trade,  as 
you  and  your  neighbors,  the  French,  do.  But,  the  Big  Knife, 
daily  getting  more  numerous,  like  the  trees  in  the  woods, 
the  land  became  poor  and  hunting  scarce ;  and  having  but 
little  to  trade  with,  the  women  began  to  cry  at  seeing  their 
children  naked,  and  tried  to  learn  how  to  make  clothes  for 
themselves ;  women  made  blankets  for  their  husbands  and 
children ;  and  the  men  learned  to  make  guns  and  powder. 
In  this  way  we  did  not  want  to  buy  so  much  from  the  English  ; 
they  then  got  mad  with  us,  and  sent  strong  garrisons  through 
our  country  (as  you  see  they  have  done  among  you  on  the 
lakes,  and  among  the  French ;)  they  would  not  let  our  women 

2)  Perkins'  Western  Annals,  p.  189. 


AN   INDIAN   TALK.  297 

spin,  nor  our  men  make  powder,  nor  let  us  trade  with  any 
one  else.  The  English  said  we  should  buy  everything  of 
them,  and  since  we  had  got  saucy,  we  should  give  two  bucks 
for  a  blanket3  which  we  used  to  get  for  one :  we  should  do 
as  they  pleased,  and  they  killed  some  of  our  people  to  make 
the  rest  fear  them. 

"  This  is  the  truth,  and  the  real  cause  of  war  between  the 
English  and  us  ;  which  did  not  take  place  for  some  years  after 
this  treatment.  But  our  women  became  cold  and  hungry, 
and  continued  to  cry  ;  our  young  men  got  lost  for  want  of 
counsel  to  put  them  on  the  right  path.  The  whole  land  was 
dark,  the  old  men  held  down  their  heads  for  shame,  because 
they  could  not  sec  the  sun  ;  and  thus  there  was  mourning  for 
many  years  over  the  land.  At  last  the  Great  Spirit  took 
pity  on  us,  and  kindled  a  great  council-fire  that  never  goes 
out,  at  a  place  called  Philadelphia ;  he  then  stuck  down  a 
post,  and  put  a  war  tomahawk  by  it  and  went  away.  The 
sun  immediately  broke  out,  the  sky  was  blue  again,  and  the 
old  men  held  up  their  heads  and  assembled  at  the  fire  ;  they 
took  up  the  hatchet  and  sharpened  it,  and  put  it  into  the 
hands  of  our  young  men,  ordering  them  to  strike  the  English 
as  long  as  they  could  find  one  on  this  side  the  great  waters. 
The  young  men  immediately  struck  the  war-post  and  blood 
was  shed.  In  this  way  the  war  began,  and  the  English  were 
driven  from  one  place  to  another  until  they  got  weak,  and 
then  they  hired  you  red  people  to  fight  for  them.  The  Great 
Spirit  got  angry  at  this,  and  caused  your  old  father,  the 
French  king,  and  other  great  nations,  to  join  the  Eig  Knife 
and  fight  with  them  against  all  their  enemies.  So  the  English 
have  become  like  a  deer  in  the  woods  ;  and  you  may  see  that 
it  is  the  Great  Spirit  that  has  caused  your  waters  to  be 

3)  The  skin  of  a  buck  was  "  legal  tender/'  in  the  wilderness,  for  a  dollar. 


298  HISTORY   OP   OHIO. 

troubled,  because  you  have  fought  for  the  people  he  is  mad 
with.  If  your  women  and  children  should  now  cry,  you  must 
blame  yourselves  for  it,  and  not  the  Big  Knife.  You  can 
now  judge  who  is  in  the  right ;  I  have  already  told  you  who 
I  am ;  here  is  a  bloody  belt  and  a  white  one,  take  which  you 
please.  Behave  like  men,  and  don't  let  your  being  surroun 
ded  by  the  Big  Knife  cause  you  to  take  up  one  belt  with  your 
hands,  while  your  hearts  take  up  the  other.  If  you  take  the 
bloody  path,  you  shall  leave  the  town  in  safety,  and  may  go 
and  join  your  friends,  the  English ;  we  will  then  try  like 
warriors,  who  can  put  the  most  stumbling  blocks  in  each 
others'  way,  and  keep  our  clothes  longest  stained  with  blood. 
If,  on  the  other  hand,  you  take  the  path  of  peace,  and  be 
received  as  brothers  to  the  Big  Knife  with  their  friends,  the 
French — should  you  then  listen  to  bad  birds  that  may  be 
flying  through  the  land,  you  will  no  longer  deserve  to  be 
counted  as  men,  but  as  creatures  with  two  tongues,  that 
ought  to  be  destroyed."4 

This  speech  was  not  without  the  desired  effect,  and  the 
season  passed  in  a  series  of  successful  negotiations  with  the 
Indians,  and  the  civil  organization  of  the  country  of  Illinois, 
which  the  legislature  of  Virginia  hastened  to  create.  Thanks 
were  also  voted  "  to  Col.  Clark  and  the  brave  officers  arid 
men  under  his  command,  for  their  extraordinary  resolution 
and  perseverance  in  so  hazardous  an  enterprize,  and  for  the 
important  services  thereby  rendered  their  country." 

This  summer  campaign  aroused  Governor  Hamilton  to 
unusual  exertions.  He  projected  a  powerful  Indian  expedi 
tion  against  the  Virginia  frontier  early  in  the  spring.  With 
this  design,  he  left  Detroit  in  the  autumn,  and  after  personally 
adjusting  his  arrangements  on  the  Maumee  and  Sandusky, 
4)  See  Butler's  History  of  Kentucky,  p.  68. 


299 

proceeded  to  St.  Vincents,  on  the  Wabash,  in  order  to  act 
more  efficiently  as  soon  as  the  winter  should  break  up.  He 
arrived  at  St.  Vincent  with  seventy-nine  British  soldiers  and 
upwards  of  four  hundred  Indians  in  the  month  of  December, 
and  found  that  post  occupied  by  tivo  men,  Captain  Helm  and 
one  Henry.  Butler,  the  historian  of  Kentucky,  relates  that 
Helm  was  not  disposed  to  yield,  even  to  such  odds  as  five 
hundred  to  two ;  so  loading  his  single  cannon,  he  stood  by  it 
•with  a  lighted  match,  and,  as  the  British  came  nigh,  bade 
them  stand,  and  demanded  to  know  what  terms  would  be 
granted  the  garrison,  as  otherwise  he  should  not  surrender. 
The  governor,  unwilling  to  lose  time  and  men,  offered  the 
usual  honors  of  war,  and  could  scarce  believe  his  eyes  when 
he  saw  the  threatening  garrison  was  only  one  officer  and  a 
private. 

Hamilton,  instead  of  pressing  forward  to  attack  Clark, 
determined  to  wait  until  spring,  and  allowed  his  Indians  to 
scatter.  This  was  fatal,  for  his  energetic  antagonist  correctly 
supposing  that  his  only  chance  of  escape  was  to  strike  the 
first  blow,  immediately  despatched  a  boat  with  forty-six  men 
and  the  artillery  found  at  Kaskaskia,  up  the  Wabash  River, 
to  wait  below  the  town  for  further  orders.  He  then  com 
menced  his  march  with  one  hundred  and  seventy  men,  of 
whom  two  French  companies  made  a  part,  for  St.  Vincents. 

The  march  was  commenced  on  the  7th  of  February.  The 
prairies  were  flooded  and  it  was  "  still  raining."  When  the 
troops  arrived  at  the  Wabash,  they  found  the  country  between 
the  Great  and  Little  Wabash,  "although  a  league  asunder," 
inundated.  Making  a  canoe,  the  men  were  ferried  over,  and 
continued  their  march  through  "rain  and  water."  On  the 
18th  they  heard  Hamilton's  morning  guns,  and  guided  their 
course  accordingly.  On  the  19th,  Bowman  records  (we  are 


300  HISTOUY    OF    OHIO. 

quoting  from  a  diary  of  Captain  Joseph  Bowman)  that  there 
had  been  "  no  provision  of  any  sort  for  two  days,"  but  this 
"  hard  fortune"  was  slightly  relieved  on  the  20th,  when  "  one 
of  the  men  killed  a  deer  which  was  distributed  in  the  camp 
very  acceptably."  On  the  21st  they  came  to  a  body  of  wa 
ter  a  league  in  extent,  and  which  Clark,  on  sounding,  found 
"  as  deep  as  to  his  neck."  The  troops  were  half  starved, 
and  without  provisions  for  men  or  horses,  a  delay  of  twcntv- 
four  hours  (the  time  requisite  to  transport  themselves  in  their 
few  canoes,)  would  be  unendurable ;  and  so  Clark  "  put  some 
water  in  his  hand,  poured  on  powder,  blackened  his  face,  gave 
a  war-whoop  and  marched  into  the  water  without  saying  a 
word."  He  had  directed  those  immediately  near  him  to  do 
the  same,  and  all  followed.  An  acre  of  solid  ground,  called 
Sugar  Camp,  was  soon  reached,  where  they  passed  the  night, 
the  weather  now  growing  suddenly  and  sharply  cold.  The 
next  morning  another  inundated  plain  was  to  be  forded,  be 
fore  reaching  the  table  of  land,  on  which  stood  the  town  and 
fort  of  St.  Vincents.  The  strength  of  the  men  was  sorely 
tried  by  this  last  struggle.  The  water  was  colder  than  the 
day  before,  and  no  less  deep,  but  the  "  low  men  and  the 
weakly  hung  to  floating  logs  until  taken  off  by  the  canoes, 
while  the  strong  and  tall  got  out  and  built  fires."  Fortunately, 
an  Indian  canoe,  containing  a  quarter  of  buffalo,  some  corn, 
tallow,  kettle,  &c.,  was  seized.  "  This  was  a  grand  prize," 
says  Clark  himself,  "  and  was  invaluable.  Broth  was  imme 
diately  made  and  served  out  to  the  most  wreakly,  with  great 
care  ;  most  of  the  whole  got  a  little ;  but  a  great  many  gave 
their  part  to  the  weakly,  jocosely  saying  something  cheer 
ing  to  their  comrades.  This  little  refreshment  and  fine 
weather  by  the  afternoon  gave  new  life  to  the  whole.  Cross 
ing  a  narrow  deep  lake  in  the  canoes,  and  marching  some 


CAPTURE    OF   HAMILTON.  301 

distance,  we  came  to  a  copse  of  timber  called  the  "Warrior's 
Island.  We  were  now  in  full  view  of  the  fort  and  the  town, 
not  a  shrub  between  us,  at  about  two  miles  distance." 

As  Clark  and  his  men  emerged  in  sight  of  the  garrison, 
they  availed  themselves  of  a  stratagem  to  convey  an  exag 
gerated  impression  of  their  force.  Clark  thus  describes  this 
artifice  :  "  We  moved  on  slowly  in  full  view  of  the  town,  but 
as  it  was  a  point  of  consequence  to  us  to  make  ourselves 
appear  formidable,  we,  in  leaving  the  covert  that  we  were  in, 
marched  and  countermarched  in  such  a  manner  that  we  ap 
peared  numerous.  In  raising  volunteers  in  the  Illinois,  every 
person  that  set  about  the  business  had  a  set  of  colors  given 
them,  which  they  brought  with  them,  to  the  amount  of  ten 
or  twelve  pair.  These  were  displayed  to  the  best  advantage ; 
and  as  the  low  plain  we  marched  through  was  not  a  perfect 
level,  but  had  frequent  raisings  in  it  seven  or  eight  feet  higher 
than  the  common  level,  (which  was  covered  with  water)  and 
as  these  raisings  generally  run  in  an  oblique  direction  toward 
the  town,  we  took  the  advantage  of  one  of  them,  marching 
through  the  water  under  it,  which  completely  prevented  our 
being  numbered ;  but  our  colors  showed  considerably  above 
the  heights,  as  they  were  fixed  on  long  poles  procured  for  the 
purpose,  and  at  a  distance  made  no  despicable  appearance ; 
find  as  our  young  Frenchmen  had,  while  we  lay  on  the  War 
rior's  Island,  decoyed  and  taken  several  fowlers,  with  their 
horses,  officers  were  mounted  on  these  horses,  and  rode  about 
more  completely  to  deceive  the  enemy.  In  this  mariner  we 
moved,  and  directed  our  march  in  such  a  way  as  to  suffer  it 
to  be  dark  before  we  had  advanced  more  than  half  way  to 
the  town.  We  then  suddenly  altered  our  direction,  and 
crossed  ponds  where  they  could  not  have  suspected  us,  and 
about  eight  o'clock  gained  the  heights  back  of  the  town." 


302  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

All  night  of  the  22d,  and  with  brief  intervals,  until  the 
morning  of  the  24th,  a  brisk  fire  upon  the  fort  was  sustained. 
Negotiations  ensued,  and  towards  night  Hamilton  surrend 
ered,  and  the  post  was  delivered  to  the  Virginians  on  the 
following  day.  The  assailants  had  only  one  man  wounded — 
within  the  fort,  seven  were  wounded  through  the  ports. 

It  was  the  good  fortune  of  Col.  Clark,  also  to  intercept 
and  capture  a  valuable  convoy  of  provisions  and  stores,  com 
ing  to  St.  Vincents  from  Detroit.  The  surrender  of  St. 
Vincents  or  Fort  Sackville,  was  most  timely.  Hamilton, 
instead  of  guiding  the  savage  elements  of  a  general  border 
war,  was  sent  a  prisoner  to  Williamsburgh,  where  the  Vir 
ginia  council  were  about  to  confine  him  in  irons  on  bread 
and  water,  as  a  punishment  of  his  barbarism  in  offering 
scalp-bounties,  when  Washington  interposed  against  such  a 
step,  as  not  in  accordance  with  the  terms  of  his  surrender. 

This  imputation  upon  the  British  Governor,  whom  Clark, 
in  his  proclamation  to  the  people  of  Vincennes,  just  before 
the  attack  on  the  fort,  had  not  scrupled  to  call  the  "  hair- 
buyer  Hamilton,"  is  also  supported  by  the  evidence  of  one 
Daniel  Sullivan,  who,  in  March,  1778,  returned  to  Pitts 
burgh  with  a  statement  of  his  discoveries  at  Detroit  and  in 
the  Indian  country.  Captured  by  the  Delawares  when  a 
boy,  and  living  with  them  for  nine  years,  he  was  well  suited 
for  such  a  service,  and  asserted  positively  that  Governor 
Hamilton  instigated  the  Indians  to  massacre  the  white  inhab 
itants  of  the  frontiers  of  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania,  paying 
them  very  high  prices  for  all  the  scalps  they  would  bring. 
In  justice  to  the  British  commander,  it  should  be  mentioned 
however,  that  when  Daniel  Boone  and  twenty-eight  of  his 
neighbors  were  captured  at  Blue  Licks  in  February,  1778, 
it  was  evidently  the  interest  of  the  Shawanese  captors,  to 


INDIAN    SIEGE   OF   FORT   LAURENS. 

take  them  alive  to  Detroit,  and  although  scalps  were  market 
able  there,  yet  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  British 
officers  discriminated  in  favor  of  prisoners.  On  this  occa 
sion,  Boone  informs  us  that  he  was  treated  with  much 
humanity  by  Governor  Hamilton,  who  desired  to  ransom  him, 
but  the  Indians  prized  their  prisoner  too  highly  to  consent. 

We  recall  our  attention  from  these  remote  but  highly 
important  transactions  of  the  Illinois  expedition,  to  an  Indian 
siege  of  Fort  Laurens.  This  post  had  been  erected  as  a 
part  of  Macintosh's  design  upon  Detroit,  but  also,  very  prob 
ably,  to  check  the  incursions  of  the  Sandusky  Indians  upon 
the  settlements  south  of  the  Ohio  River,  and  to  protect  the 
Delawares  who  were  still  disposed  for  peace.  The  usual 
approach  from  Fort  Mclntosh,  the  nearest  military  station, 
was  by  the  old  Indian  trail  from  the  valley  of  Yellow  Creek, 
across  to  Sandy  and  down  that  stream.  In  January,  1779, 
Col.  John  Gibson  and  his  garrison  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
men  were  closely  besieged  by  the  Indians.  Of  the  incidents 
which  preceded  and  accompanied  this  siege,  we  recognize  a 
manuscript  narrative  by  Henry  Jolly,  Esq.,  late  judge  of 
Washington  county,  Ohio,  who  was  one  of  the  garrison,  as 
the  most  satisfactory.  He  says: 

"  When  the  main  army  left  the  fort  to  return  to  Fort  Pitt, 
Captain  Clark  remained  behind  with  a  small  detachment  of 
United  States  troops,  for  the  purpose  of  marching  in  the 
invalids  and  artificers  who  had  tarried  to  finish  the  fort,  or 
were  too  unwell  to  march  with  the  main  army.  He  endeav 
ored  to  take  the  advantage  of  very  cold  weather,  and  had 
marched  three  or  four  miles,  when  he  was  fired  upon  by  a 
small  party  of  Indians  very  close  at  hand,  I  think,  twenty  or 
thirty  paces.  This  discharge  wounded  two  of  his  men 
slightly.  Knowing  as  he  did,  that  his  men  were  unfit  to 


304  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

fight  Indians  in  their  own  fashion,  he  ordered  them  to  reserve 
their  fire  and  to  charge  bayonet,  which  being  promptly 
executed,  put  the  Indians  to  flight,  and  after  pursuing  a 
short  distance,  he  called  off  his  men,  and  retreated  to  the 
fort,  bringing  in  his  wounded."  In  other  accounts  of  this 
affair,  it  is  stated  that  ten  of  Captain  Clark's  men  were 
killed.  "  During  the  cold  weather,  while  the  Indians  were 
lying  about  the  fort,  although  none  had  been  seen  for  a  few 
days,  a  party  of  seventeen  men  went  out  for  the  purpose  of 
carrying  in  firewood,  which  the  army  had  cut  before  they 
left  the  place,  about  forty  or  fifty  rods  from  the  fort.  Near 
the  bank  of  the  river,  was  an  ancient  mound,  behind  which 
lay  a  quantity  of  wood.  A  party  had  been  out  for  several 
preceding  mornings,  and  brought  in  wood,  supposing  the 
Indians  would  not  be  watching  the  fort  in  such  cold  weather. 
But  on  that  fatal  morning,  the  Indians  had  concealed  them 
selves  behind  the  mound,  and  as  the  soldiers  passed  round 
on  one  side  of  the  mound,  a  part  of  the  Indians  came  round 
on  the  other,  and  enclosed  the  wood  party,  so  that  not  one 
escaped." 

The  statements  hitherto  published  of  this  affair  are,  that 
the  Indians  enticed  the  men  from  the  fort  to  search  for  horses, 
by  taking  off  their  bells  and  tinkling  them,  but  Mr.  Hildreth 
is  certain  that  no  horses  were  left  at  the  fort,  as  they  must 
either  have  starved  or  been  stolen  by  the  Indians. 

Stone,  in  his  Life  of  Brant,  states  that  toward  evening 
of  the  day  on  which  this  detachment  of  seventeen  men  was 
cut  off,  the  whole  force  of  the  Indians,  painted,  and  in  the 
full  costume  of  war,  presented  themselves  in  sight  of  the 
garrison,  by  marching  in  single  files,  though  at  a  respectful 
distance,  across  the  prairie,  and  their  number,  according  to 
a  count  from  one  of  the  bastions,  was  eight  hundred  and  forty- 


SIEGE    OF   FORT    LAURENS.  305 

seven  ;  but  Col.  Morgan  was  told  by  the  Delaware  chiefs  that 
the  party  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  Indians,  com 
posed  of  Wyandots,  Mingoes,  Munsies  and  four  Delawares, 
and  that  the  sons  of  Catherine  Montour  were  among  them. 
After  the  display  of  strength  above  mentioned,  the  Indians 
took  a  position  upon  an  elevated  piece  of  ground  at  no  great 
distance  from  the  fort,  though  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 
In  this  situation  they  remained  several  wreeks,  in  a  state  rather 
of  armed  neutrality  than  of  active  hostility.  Some  of  them 
would  frequently  approach  the  fort,  and  hold  conversation 
with  those  upon  the  walls.  They  uniformly  professed  a 
desire  for  peace,  but  protested  against  the  encroachments  of 
the  white  people  upon  their  lands — more  especially  was  the 
erection  of  a  fort  so  far  within  the  territory  claimed  by  them 
as  exclusively  their  own,  a  subject  of  complaint.  There  was 
with  the  Americans  in  the  fort,  an  aged  friendly  Indian  named 
John  Thompson,  who  seemed  to  be  in  equal  favor  with  both 
parties,  visiting  the  Indian  encampment  at  pleasure,  and 
coming  and  going  as  he  chose.  They  informed  Thompson  that 
they  deplored  the  continuance  of  hostilities,  and  finally  sent 
word  by  him,  to  Col.  Gibson,  that  they  were  desirous  of  peace, 
and  if  he  would  present  them  with  a  barrel  of  flour  and  some 
meat,  they  would  send  in  their  proposals  the  next  day.  In 
fact,  the  garrison  was  short  of  provisions,  which  the  Indians 
suspected,  and  perhaps  their  request  was  a  ruse  to  ascertain 
the  resources  of  the  besieged,  but  Colonel  Gibson  sent  the 
flour  and  meat  promptly,  and  said  that  he  could  spare  the 
provisions  very  well,  as  he  had  plenty  more.  The  Indians 
soon  after  disappeared.  They  had,  indeed,  continued  the 
siege  as  long  as  they  could  obtain  subsistence,  and  raised  it 
only  because  of  the  lack  of  supplies. 

The  situation  of  the  garrison  was  now  becoming  deplorable. 
13* 


306  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

For  two  weeks  the  men  had  been  reduced  to  half  a  pound  of 
sour  flour,  and  a  like  quantity  of  offensive  meat,  per  diem ; 
and  for  a  week  longer  they  were  compelled  to  subsist  upon 
raw  hides,  and  such  roots  as  could  be  found  in  the  adjacent 
woods.  A  runner  was  sent  to  Fort  Mclntosh  with  a  state 
ment  of  their  distress,  and  requesting  an  immediate  supply 
of  provisions.  The  inhabitants  south  of  the  Ohio  volunteered 
their  aid,  and  General  Mclntosh  headed  the  escort.  But 
still  they  came  near  being  immediately  reduced  to  short  allow 
ance  again,  by  an  untoward  accident  causing  the  loss  of  a 
great  portion  of  the  supplies.  These  were  transported  through 
the  wilderness  upon  pack-horses.  The  garrison,  overjoyed  at 
the  arrival  of  succors,  on  their  approach  to  within  about  a 
hundred  yards  of  the  fort,  manned  the  parapets,  and  fired  a 
salute  of  musketry.  The  horses,  which  were  probably  young 
in  the  service,  became  frightened,  began  to  rear  and  plunge, 
and  broke  from  their  guides.  The  example  was  contagious, 
and  in  a  moment  more,  the  whole  cavalcade  of  pack-horses 
were  bounding  into  the  woods  at  full  gallop,  dashing  their 
burdens  to  the  ground  and  scattering  them  in  all  directions — 
the  greater  portion  of  which  could  never  be  recovered.  Of 
the  provisions  saved,  the  officers  very  incautiously  dealt  out 
two  days'  rations  per  man,  the  whole  of  which  was  devoured 
by  the  famishing  soldiers,  to  the  imminent  hazard  of  the  lives 
of  all,  and  the  severe  sickness  of  many.  Leaving  the  fort 
again,  General  Mclntosh  assigned  the  command  to  Major 
Vernon,  who  remained  upon  the  station  several  months.  He, 
in  turn,  was  left  to  endure  the  horrors  of  famine,  and  in  the 
summer  of  1779,  Fort  Laurcns  was  threatened  with  another 
siege  by  forty  Shawanese,  twenty  Mingoes  and  twenty  Dela- 
wares.  but  by  the  interference  of  the  friendly  Delaware  chiefs, 
they  were  persuaded  to  abandon  the  siege  without  firing  a  gun. 


DELAWARE    HOSTILITY.  307 

and  the  fort  was  soon  after  relinquished.  It  is  worthy  of 
notice,  that  while  there  were  only  four  Delawares  (as  distin 
guished  from  Munsies)  at  the  attack  in  January,  twenty  were 
present  on  the  last  occasion,  thus  indicating  that  the  influence 
of  Capt.  Pipe  and  the  war  party  of  the  tribe  was  on  the 
increase. 

In  October,  1778,  the  distinguished  peace-chief  of  the 
Delawares,  Captain  "White  Eyes,  or  Koquethagaeehlon,  who 
had  accompanied  the  army  of  General  Mclntosh  to  Tusca- 
roras,  died  suddenly  of  small-pox.  Thenceforth  the  efforts 
of  Killbuck,  Big  Cat,  and  another  chief,  whose  Indian  name 
was  Tetepachsi,  to  resist  the  current  against  the  Americans 
became  less  effective  than  before  the  death  of  their  able 
coadjutor.  In  the  summer  of  1779,  their  friend,  Col.  Mor 
gan,  or  Tamenend,  resigned  his  post  of  Indian  agent  at  Pitts 
burgh,  and  the  desertion  of  Fort  Laurens  exerted  an  unfa 
vorable  influence.  The  American  agents,  about  the  same 
time,  began  to  urge  the  Delawares  to  change  their  former 
attitude  of  neutrality,  and  to  wage  war  against  the  Indian 
allies  of  the  English.  This  was  bad  policy  under  the  cir 
cumstances  of  the  Ohio  frontier,  for,  as  the  tribe  was  situated, 
any  change  of  attitude  must  have  been  unfavorable  to  the 
Americans.  Very  soon,  therefore,  the  few  Delawares,  who 
remained  friendly  to  the  colonies,  were  compelled  to  take 
refuge  at  or  near  Fort  Pitt,  and  at  length  the  Delaware 
nation  may  be  said  to  have  openly  joined  the  combination  of 
the  Ohio  Indians  with  the  British. 

Fortunately,  this  hostile  demonstration  had  been  postponed 
to  a  period  when  the  defection  was  less  disastrous  than  it 
would  have  been  at  any  former  period  of  the  war.  The 
pacification  of  the  remote  tribes  on  the  "VVabash  and  Illinois, 
and  the  favorable  dispositions  of  the  French  residents  there 


308  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

and  elsewhere — the  destruction  of  the  Seneca  towns  in  the 
lake  and  Genesee  region  of  New  York,  by  the  army  under 
Sullivan,  in  the  autumn  of  1779,  and  a  similar  excursion 
from  Pittsburgh,  by  Colonel  Daniel  Brodhead,  (who  had  suc 
ceeded  General  Mclntosh  in  February,  1779,)  at  the  head 
of  six  hundred  men,  during  which  he  destroyed  many  villages 
of  the  Seneca  Indians  on  the  head  waters  of  the  Alleghany, 
ravaged  five  hundred  acres  of  standing  corn,  and  captured 
a  booty  of  skins  valued  at  three  thousand  dollars — these  were 
events  which  tended  essentially  to  relieve  the  valley  of  the 
Ohio,  at  least  for  a  season. 

Upon  Brodhead's  return  to  Pittsburgh,  September  14, 
he  found  deputies  from  the  Delawares,  Wyandots,  and  the 
Maquichec  branch  of  the  Shawanese,  with  whom  a  conference 
was  held  three  days  afterwards.  The  only  Indian  names 
mentioned  in  the  report  of  this  council  are  Doonyontat,  a 
Wyandot  chief,  Kelleleman,  a  Delaware,  and  better  known 
as  Killbuck,  and  Keeshmatrec,  the  Maquichee  or  Shawanese 
chief,  and  his  counsellor,  Nimwha.  On  this  occasion,  the 
professions  of  amity  were  as  ample  and  rhetorical  as  usual. 

For  a  year  or  two,  the  settlements  of  the  upper  Ohio  felt 
the  beneficial  effect  of  these  events,  but,  as  we  shall  see,  the 
main  body  of  the  Shawanese,  with  their  British  and  Indian 
allies,  continued  to  scourge  the  Kentucky  station,  but  not 
without  a  full  retribution.  We  shall  devote  a  separate  chapter 
to  the  narrative  of  these  Shawanese  campaigns. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

TI1K  KENTUCKY  CAMPAIGNS  AGAINST  THE  SIIAWANESE. 

THE  assassination  of  Cornstalk  and  his  companions  at  Point 
Pleasant,  in  1777,  effectually  concurred  with  other  causes  of 
irritation  to  inflame  the  Shawanese  against  the  Americans, 
and  for  the  residue  of  the  revolutionary  period  the  tribe  was 
implacably  hostile.  There  is  some  evidence  that  the  Ma- 
quichee  tribe  were  occasionally  inclined  to  peace,  but  this 
exception,  so  far  as  it  existed,  was  probably  attributable  to 
the  influence  of  the  Moravian  missionaries,  who  interchanged 
visits  with  those  chiefs  living  near  the  Muskingum.  The 
tribe  at  large,  irritated  by  the  encroachments  on  their  Ken 
tucky  hunting  grounds,  were  determined  to  extirpate  the 
infant  settlements  ;  and  for  this  purpose  the  channels  of  the 
prominent  tributaries  to  the  Ohio  offered  great  facilities. 
The  canoes  of  their  war-parties  floated  down  the  Scioto  and 
the  Miamis,  and  silently  ascended  the  Licking  and  Kentucky 
rivers  until  within  striking  distance  of  the  scattered  stations. 

At  this  time  the  Shawanese  were  divided  into  four  tribes 
or  bands — the  Maquichee,  or  Mequachake,  the  Chillicothe, 
the  Kiskapocoke,  and  the  Piqua.  In  the  first  tribe,  to  which 
the  priesthood  was  confided,  the  office  of  chief  was  heredi 
tary — in  the  others  it  was  conferred  according  to  merit.  It 
is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  Shawanese  living  near 
Wappatomica,  on  the  Muskingum,  (if  any  remained  there 
after  it  was  destroyed  by  McDonald's  party  in  the  summer 
of  1774)  and  in  the  Scioto  towns,  which  were  only  saved 

(309) 


310  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

from  destruction  by  submission  to  Lord  Dumnore  on  the 
approach  of  his  army,  were  less  prompt  to  renew  hostilities 
than  the  inhabitants  of  the  more  remote  towns  on  the  Little 
Miami  and  the  Mad  River.  Cornstalk  himself  resided  east 
of  the  Scioto  River,  on  the  right  bank  of  Sippo  creek,  just 
above  the  junction  of  Congo  creek,  (now  Pickaway  township 
and  county)  while  on  the  opposite  bank  stood  Grenadier 
Squaw  Town,  so  called  from  the  residence  of  his  sister,  a 
woman  six  feet  high  and  well  proportioned ;  and  notwith 
standing  the  injuries  inflicted  upon  the  family  of  Cornstalk 
by  the  whites,  it  is  probable  that  the  Shawanese  on  the 
Scioto  sympathized,  in  some  degree,  with  the  peaceful  dis 
positions  of  the  neighboring  Delawares.  This  opinion  is 
corroborated  by  the  fact  that  all  the  retaliatory  expeditions 
from  Kentucky,  during  and  after  the  revolutionary  period, 
passed  by  the  mouth  of  Scioto,  and  were  designed  to  chas 
tise  the  Shawanese  bands  who  were  seated  in  the  Miami  and 
Mad  River  valleys,  and  within  the  present  counties  of  Greene, 
Miami,  Champaigne  and  Logan.  The  principal  villages  in 
the  Miami  region  were  Chillicothe,  standing  near  the  mouth 
of  Massie's  creek,  three  miles  north  of  Xenia  :  Piqua,  memo 
rable  as  the  birth-place  of  Tecumseh,  and  situated  on  the 
north  bank  of  Mad  River,  seven  miles  west  of  Springfield, 
in  Clark  county :  and  Upper  and  Lower  Piqua,  in  Miami 
county,  where  the  tribe  at  length  concentrated  in  great 
numbers.1 

In  the  spring  of  1778,  while  Clark  was  mustering  his  expe 
dition  to  the  Illinois,  Daniel  Boone,  equally  noted  as  the 
pioneer  hunter  of  Kentucky,  was  a  captive  in  the  Shawnee 
town  of  Chillicothe.  He  and  twenty-seven  others  had  been 
seized  in  February,  while  making  salt  at  Blue  Licks,  and  his 

1 )  See  Appendix  No.  VII,  for  further  particulars  of  the  Shawanese  villages. 


BOONESBOROUGH  ATTACKED.  311 

companions  had  been  admitted  to  ransom  or  detained  as 
British  prisoners  at  Detroit — but  not  so  fortunate  was  Boone. 
Although  Governor  Hamilton  had  taken  a  great  fancy  to  him, 
and  sought  to  obtain  his  release  upon  the  usual  terms,  the 
Indians  refused  to  part  with  the  hero  of  the  woods.  They 
took  him  back  to  Chillicothe,  where  he  was  formally  adopted 
as  a  son  of  the  tribe,  and  consigned  to  the  lodge  of  an  Indian 
woman,  in  place  of  a  deceased  warrior.  Until  June,  he 
adapted  himself,  with  extraordinary  address,  to  his  new 
position,  and  so  far  won  the  favor  and  confidence  of  the 
Indians  that  he  was  suffered  to  accompany  a  party  to  the 
Salt  Lick,  in  the  Scioto  valley,  within  the  present  county  of 
Jackson.  There  they  remained  ten  days  and  returned  to 
Chillicothe,  where  Boone  found  four  hundred  and  fifty  war 
riors,  armed  and  painted  for  an  expedition  against  his  own 
Boonesborough.  Instantly,  but  silently,  he  resolved  to  escape, 
which  was  effected  on  the  16th  of  June,  under  the  pretence 
of  chasing  a  deer  that  bounded  past  the  village.  The  weary 
journey  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  was  successfully 
accomplished,  but  his  flight  seemed  to  have  postponed  the 
march  of  the  war-party,  for  neither  in  June  or  July  did  they 
appear.  On  the  1st  of  August,  Boone  started  with  nineteen 
men,  among  them  Simon  Kenton,  to  look  after  the  enemy. 
He  approached  their  town  on  Paint  Creek,  but  found  it 
deserted,  and  meeting  a  small  band  of  warriors,  in  full  paint, 
marching  southwardly,  the  suspicion  flashed  upon  his  mind 
that  Boonesborough  would  be  speedily  attacked.  They  im 
mediately  retraced  their  course,  and  only  reached  the  borough 
a  day  before  it  was  surrounded  by  five  hundred  savages,  with 
British  and  French  flags  flying  and  led  by  one  Captain  Du 
Quesne,  a  Canadian.  A  day  passed  in  parley  before  the 
fort,  and  active  preparation  for  defence  within.  On  the  9th 


312  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

of  August,  Boone  and  eight  of  the  garrison  consented  to 
advance  sixty  yards  into  the  plain  for  a  further  consultation 
with  the  British  commandant,  but  this  interview  was  rudely 
interrupted  by  an  attempt  to  seize  the  Kentuckians — a  treach 
ery  which  was  instantly  checked  by  a  fire  from  the  alert 
rifles  of  the  garrison,  and  the  sudden  and  safe  retreat  of 
Boone's  party  within  the  walls.  Of  course  the  attack  com 
menced  immediately,  and  lasted  for  ten  days,  but  to  no 
purpose.  On  the  20th,  the  Indians  were  forced  unwillingly 
to  retire,  having  lost  thirty-seven  of  their  number,  and  wasted 
a  vast  amount  of  powder  and  lead.  The  garrison  picked  up 
from  the  ground,  after  their  departure,  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  pounds  of  their  bullets. 

The  adventures  of  Simon  Kenton,  in  the  autumn  of  1778, 
afford  us  another  glimpse  of  the  scene  of  Boone's  captivity, 
and  of  other  Shawanese  villages.  Colonel  John  Bowman 
was  then  meditating  an  expedition  against  the  Shawanese 
villages,  particularly  Chillicothe ;  (Oldtown,  Greene  county,) 
and  Kenton,  accompanied  by  Alexander  Montgomery  and 
George  Clark,  undertook  to  explore  the  route  to  Chillicothe, 
and  the  vicinity  and  position  of  the  town.  This  was  effectu 
ally  done,  and  all  risk  would  have  been  avoided  if  the  three 
spies  had  not  yielded  to  the  temptation  of  running  off  a  drove 
of  horses  which  they  found  enclosed  in  a  pound.  It  was 
late  at  night,  but  the  noise  of  the  operation  alarmed  the 
Indians  in  the  adjacent  village.  Kenton  and  his  companions 
were  pursued,  and  although  they  reached  the  northern  bank 
of  the  Ohio  River  with  the  stolen  animals,  yet,  before  its 
passage  could  be  effected,  they  were  overtaken,  Montgomery 
killed  and  Kenton  made  prisoner,  Clark  escaping. 

The  Indians  were  greatly  exasperated  at  their  captive, 
abusing  him  as  a  "tief! — a  Loss  steal — a  rascal!"  and  he 


KENTON'S  ADVENTURES.  313 

received  no  indulgence  at  their  hands,  except  that  he  was 
not  struck  dead  with  a  tomahawk.  With  his  hands  tied 
behind  him,  and  his  feet  lashed  under  the  horse's  belly,  he 
was  compelled  to  ride  a  restive  colt  through  the  thickets  of 
the  forest,  while  at  night  the  prisoner  was  extended  upon  his 
back  and  closely  bound  to  the  earth  in  a  painful  posture. 
Arrived  at  Chillicothe,  he  ran  the  gauntlet,  but  as  Kenton 
saw  an  Indian  in  the  line  with  a  drawn  knife,  ready  to 
plunge  it  into  his  breast,  he  broke  through  the  lines  and  ran 
towards  the  council-house  with  a  crowd  of  several  hundred 
at  his  heels.  Just  before  reaching  that  refuge,  he  was 
thrown  down  by  an  Indian  who  was  in  his  path  and  terribly 
bruised  by  the  blows  of  his  pursuers.  Immediately  a  council 
was  held,  and  soon  Kenton  saw,  from  the  manner  of  speakers 
and  auditors,  that  he  was  doomed  to  die.  When  the  vote 
was  taken,  those  who  were  for  his  torture  struck  the  war 
club,  which  was  passed  from  hand  to  hand,  violently  on  the 
ground — their  number  far  exceeding  those  who  simply  passed 
the  club  to  a  neighbor  in  token  of  mercy.  Then  arose  a 
debate  upon  the  time  and  place  of  the  tragedy,  and  it  was 
resolved  that  he  should  be  immediately  taken  to  Wapatomika 
(now  Zanesfield,  Logan  county.)  On  his  way  thither,  he 
passed  through  the  Indian  towns  of  Piqua  (now  Boston, 
seven  miles  west  of  Springfield,  Clark  county,)  and  Mache- 
cheek,  (now  West  Liberty,  Logan  county,)  running  the 
gauntlet  at  each  town,  and  baffled  at  Machecheek  in  an 
attempt  to  escape.  Soon  after  his  arrival  at  Wapatomika, 
Simon  Girty  came  to  see  him,  and  soon  discovered  that 
Kenton  had  been  his  companion  and  friend  at  Fort  Pitt  and 
in  Dunmore's  expedition.  McDonald  thus  describes  the 
scene  which  ensued:  "Girty  threw  himself  into  Kenton's 
arms,  embraced  and  wept  aloud  over  him — calling  him  his 
14 


314  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

dear  and  esteemed  friend.  This  hardened  wretch,  who  had 
been  the  cause  of  the  death  of  hundreds,  had  some  of  the 
sparks  of  humanity  remaining  in  him,  and  wept  like  a  child 
at  the  tragical  fate  which  hung  over  his  friend.  '  Well,'  said 
he  to  Kenton,  i  you  are  condemned  to  die,  but  I  will  use  every 
means  in  my  power  to  save  your  life.' 

"  Girty  immediately  had  a  council  convened,  and  made  a 
long  speech  to  the  Indians  to  save  the  life  of  the  prisoner. 
As  Girty  was  proceeding  through  his  speech,  he  became  very 
animated ;  and  under  his  powerful  eloquence,  Kenton  could 
plainly  discover  the  grim  visages  of  his  savage  judges  relent. 
When  Girty  concluded  his  powerful  and  animated  speech, 
the  Indians  rose  with  one  simultaneous  grunt  of  approbation, 
saved  the  prisoner's  life,  and  placed  him  under  the  power 
and  protection  of  his  old  companion,  Girty. "s 

The  British  had  a  trading  post  at  Wapatomika,  from  which 
Girty  provided  Kenton  with  clothing,  and  also  furnished  him 
with  horse  and  gun.  The  two  friends  were  constantly  together, 
roaming  the  woods  and  passing  from  village  to  village.  While 
they  were  at  Solomon's  Town,  a  short  distance  from  Wapa 
tomika,  a  party  of  warriors  returned  to  the  latter  place  from 
an  expedition  against  Wheeling,  in  which  they  had  been  de 
feated  by  the  whites  with  considerable  loss,  and  demanded 
the  life  of  Kenton.  Another  council  was  summoned,  and 
Kenton  was  again  sentenced  to  death,  notwithstanding  all 
the  efforts  and  eloquence  of  Girty.  The  latter  could  only 
obtain  a  reprieve  until  the  prisoner  could  be  taken  to  Upper 
Sandusky,  where  the  Indians  were  soon  to  assemble  and 

2)  For  the  above  and  following  particulars  of  Simon  Kenton,  see  Sketches, 
by  John  McDonald,  p.  196— an  interesting  series  of  pioneer  biography.  Its 
author  is  recently  deceased,  but  his  contribution  to  the  history  of  the  State 
should  preserve  his  memory.  See  McClung's  Western  Adventure,  p.  80. 


KENTONS  ADVENTURES. 

receive  their  annuities  and  presents  from  the  British  agents. 
As  the  Indians  passed  from  Wapatomika  to  Upper  San- 
dusky,  they  reached  a  village  upon  the  headwaters  of  Scioto, 
where  Kenton  for  the  first  time  beheld  the  celebrated  Mingo 
chief,  Logan,  who  walked  gravely  up  to  the  place  where 
Kenton  stood,  and  the  following  short  conversation  ensued : 
"  Well,  young  man,  these  young  men  seem  very  mad  at  you  ?" 
uYcs  sir,  they  certainly  are."  "Well,  don't  be  dishear 
tened,  I  am  a  great  chief;  you  arc  to  go  to  Sandusky;  they 
speak  of  burning  you  there  ;  but  I  will  send  two  runners  to 
morrow  to  speak  good  for  you."  McClung  adds  that  Logan's 
form  was  striking  and  manly,  his  countenance  calm  and 
noble,  and  he  spoke  the  English  language  with  fluency  and 
correctness.  Kenton's  spirits  instantly  rose  at  the  address 
of  the  benevolent  chief,  and  he  once  more  looked  upon  him 
self  as  providentially  rescued  from  the  stake. 

On  the  following  morning,  two  runners  were  despatched  to 
Sandusky,  as  the  chief  had  promised,  and  until  their  return, 
Kenton  was  kindly  treated,  being  permitted  to  spend  much 
of  his  time  with  Logan,  who  conversed  with  him  freely,  and 
in  the  most  friendly  manner.  In  the  evening,  the  two  run 
ners  returned  and  were  closeted  with  Logan.  Kenton  felt 
the  most  burning  anxiety  to  know  what  was  the  result  of  their 
mission,  but  Logan  did  not  visit  him  again  until  next  morning. 
He  then  walked  up  to  him,  accompanied  by  Kenton's  guards, 
and  giving  him  a  piece  of  bread,  told  him  that  he  was  in 
stantly  to  be  carried  to  Sandusky ;  and  without  uttering 
another  word,  turned  upon  his  heel  and  left  him. 

At  Upper  Sandusky,  Kenton  was  finally  rescued  from  a 
death  of  torture  by  the  interposition  of  Peter  Druyer,  a 
Canadian  Frenchman,  who  was  a  Captain  in  the  British  ser 
vice,  and  acted  as  Indian  agent  and  interpreter.  It  was  to 


316  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

this  influential  personage,  probably,  that  Logan's  message 
had  been  conveyed.  He  offered  the  Indians  one  hundred 
dollars  in  rum  and  tobacco,  if  they  would  allow  him  to  take 
Kentori  to  Detroit  for  examination  by  the  British  governor, 
promising  to  return  him  when  they  should  require.  A  slight 
additional  remuneration,  afterwards  paid  to  the  Indians,  com 
pleted  the  ransom  of  Kenton,  who  accompanied  Captain 
Druyer  to  Detroit,  and  about  a  year  afterwards,  escaped  and 
returned  to  Kentucky. 

In  the  summer  of  1779,  Col.  John  Bowman  with  one  hun 
dred  and  sixty  Kentuckians,  marched  against  Chillicothe. 
There  are  conflicting  accounts  of  this  expedition,  some  of 
which  exhibit  a  partisanship  in  favor  of  Captain  Benjamin 
Logan,  at  the  expense  of  his  commanding  officer.  The  follow 
ing  narrative  of  the  expedition  is  authenticated  by  the  recol 
lection  of  the  late  Col.  Robert  Patterson  of  Dayton,  who  was 
present,  and  we  prefer  to  adopt  it. 

The  mouth  of  Licking  was  the  point  of  rendezvous.  To 
wards  the  close  of  the  second  night,  after  the  commencement 
of  the  march  from  the  opposite  shore,  the  party  approached 
the  town  of  Chillicothe  undiscovered.  An  attack  was  or 
dered  to  be  made  at  daylight,  but  before  the  officers  and 
men  had  arrived  at  the  places  assigned  them,  the  enemy 
became  alarmed,  and  a  fire  commenced  on  both  sides.  The 
whole  population  of  the  village  took  refuge  in  several  strong 
cabins,  in  the  heart  of  the  town,  and  prepared  for  a  vigorous 
defence.  The  Kentuckians,  having  no  arms  but  tomahawks 
and  rifles,  dared  not  attack  these  entrenchments,  and  they 
contented  themselves  with  firing  the  deserted  cabins,  some 
thirty  or  forty  in  number,  after  stripping  them  of  kettles, 
blankets  and  other  articles.  They  also  collected  one  hundred 
and  thirty-three  horses  in  the  adjacent  woods,  and  then  com- 


AMUtaCADE    AT    LlCivING-    RIVER.  31 

menced  their  march  homeward.  The  party  had  not  gone 
more  than  nine  or  ten  miles,  before  the  Indians  appeared  in 
considerable  force  in  their  rear,  and  began  to  press  hard  upon 
that  quarter.  Bowman  selected  his  ground,  and  formed  his 
men  into  a  square ;  but  the  Indians  declined  a  close  engage 
ment,  only  keeping  up  a  scattered  fire,  and  it  was  soon  dis 
covered  that  their  object  was  to  retard  their  march  until  they 
could  procure  reinforcements  from  the  neighboring  villages. 

As  soon  as  a  strong  position  was  taken  by  Col.  Bowman, 
the  Indians  retired,  and  he  resumed  the  line  of  march,  when 
he  was  again  attacked  in  the  rear.  He  again  formed  for 
battle,  and  again  the  Indians  retired.  Thus  harrassed,  the 
troops  began  to  waver,  when  Benjamin  Logan,  John  Bulger, 
James  Harrod  and  George  Michael  Bedinger,  at  the  head 
of  a  body  of  mounted  men,  scoured  the  woods  in  every  direc 
tion,  forcing  the  Indians  from  their  coverts,  and  cutting 
down  as  many  as  they  could  overtake.  This  decisive  step 
completely  dispersed  the  enemy,  and  the  weary  and  dispiri 
ted  troops  continued  their  retreat  unmolested.  Their  loss 
was  nine  killed  and  a  few  wounded.  The  Indian  loss  was 
unknown,  but  a  prominent  chief,  Blackfish,  was  disabled 
(some  accounts  say  mortally  wounded)  by  a  shot  through 
the  knee.-3  Bowman  crossed  the  Ohio  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Little  Miami,  when  the  men  dispersed  to  their  several  homes. 

In  the  autumn  of  1779,  a  number  of  keel  boats  were 
ascending  the  Ohio  River  under  the  command  of  Major 
Rogers,  and  had  advanced  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  Licking 
without  accident.4  Here  they  were  drawn  ashore  by  a  strat- 

3)  Butler  says  that  Blackfish  was  killed,  and  that  Red  Hawk  continued 
the  battle,  and  was  also  killed. — History  of  Kentucky,  109. 

4)  They  were  on  their  return  from  New  Orleans,  where  they  had  been 
sent  by  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  supplies  to 


olS  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

agem.  At  first  a  few  Indians  only  appeared,  standing  upon 
a  sand  bar  near  the  mouth  of  the  Licking,  while  a  canoe, 
with  three  other  Indians  was  paddling  towards  them  as 
though  to  receive  them  on  board.  Rogers  immediately 
ordered  the  boats  to  be  made  fast  to  the  Kentucky  shore, 
while  the  crews,  to  the  number  of  seventy  men  well  armed, 
cautiously  advanced  in  such  a  manner  as  to  encircle  the  spot 
where  the  enemy  had  been  seen.  When  Rogers  had,  as  he 
supposed,  completely  surrounded  the  enemy,  and  was  pre 
paring  to  rush  upon  them,  from  several  quarters  at  once,  he 
was  thunderstruck  at  beholding  several  hundred  savages 
suddenly  spring  up  in  front,  rear,  and  upon  both  flanks. 
They  instantly  poured  in  a  close  discharge  of  rifles,  and  then 
throwing  down  their  guns,  fell  upon  the  survivors  with  the 
tomahawk.  Major  Rogers  and  forty-five  of  his  men  were 
killed  almost  instantly.  The  survivors  made  an  effort  to 
regain  the  boats,  but  the  five  men  who  had  been  left  in 
charge  of  them,  had  immediately  put  off  from  shore  in  the 
hindmost  boat,  arid  the  enemy  had  already  gained  possession 
of  the  others.  Disappointed  in  the  attempt,  they  turned 
furiously  upon  the  enemy,  and  aided  by  the  approach  of 
darkness,  forced  their  way  through  their  lines,  and  with  the 
loss  of  several  severely  wounded,  at  length  effected  their 
escape  to  Harrodsburgh. 

Among  the  wounded  was  Capt.  Robert  Benham.  Shortly 
after  breaking  the  enemy's  lines,  he  was  shot  through  both 
hips,  and  the  bones  being  shattered,  he  instantly  fell.  For 
tunately,  a  large  tree  had  lately  fallen  near  the  spot  where 
he  lay,  arid  with  great  pain,  he  dragged  himself  into  the  top 
and  lay  concealed  among  the  branches.  The  Indians,  eager 

support  the  military  posts  on  the  upper  Ohio  and  Mississippi. — Butler's 
History  of  Kentucky,  102. 


SINGULAR    PARTNERSHIP.  o!9 

in  the  pursuit  of  others,  passed  him  without  notice,  and  by 
midnight  all  was  quiet.  On  the  following  day,  the  Indians 
returned  to  the  battle  ground,  in  order  to  strip  the  dead  and 
take  care  of  the  boats.  Benham,  although  in  danger  of 
famishing,  permitted  them  to  pass  without  making  known  his 
condition,  very  correctly  supposing  that  his  crippled  legs 
would  only  induce  them  to  tomahawk  him  upon  the  spot,  in 
order  to  avoid  the  trouble  of  carrying  him  to  their  town.  He 
lay  close,  therefore,  until  the  evening  of  the  second  day, 
when  perceiving  a  raccoon  descending  a  tree  near  him,  he 
shot  it,  hoping  to  devise  some  means  of  reaching  it,  when  he 
could  kindle  a  fire  and  make  a  meal.  Scarcely  had  his  gun 
cracked,  however,  when  he  heard  a  human  cry,  apparently 
not  more  than  fifty  yards  off.  Supposing  it  to  be  an  Indian, 
he  hastily  reloaded  his  gun  and  remained  silent,  expecting 
the  approach  of  an  enemy.  Presently  the  same  voice  was 
heard  again,  but  much  nearer.  Still  Benham  made  no  reply, 
but  cocked  his  gun,  and  sat  ready  to  fire  as  soon  as  an  object 
appeared.  A  third  halloo  was  quickly  heard,  followed  by  an 
exclamation  of  impatience  and  distress,  which  convinced 
Benham  that  the  unknown  must  be  a  Kentuckian.  As  soon, 
therefore,  as  he  heard  the  expression,  "  Whoever  you  are, 
for  God's  sake,  answer  me!"  he  replied  with  readiness,  and 
the  parties  were  soon  together.  Benham,  as  we  have  already 
observed,  was  shot  through  both  legs !  the  man  who  now 
appeared,  had  escaped  from  the  same  battle  with  both  arms 
broken  !  Thus  each  was  enabled  to  supply  what  the  other 
wanted.  Benham  having  the  perfect  use  of  his  arms,  could 
load  his  gun  and  kill  game  with  great  readiness,  while  his 
friend,  having  the  use  of  his  legs,  could  kick  the  game  to 
the  spot  where  Benham  sat,  who  was  thus  enabled  to  cook  it. 
When  no  wood  was  near  them,  his  companion  would  rake  up 


0'20  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

brush  with  his  feet,  and  gradually  roll  it  within  reach  of 
Benham's  hands,  who  constantly  fed  his  companion,  and 
dressed  his  wounds,  as  well  as  his  own — tearing  up  both  of 
their  shirts  for  the  purpose.  They  found  some  difficulty  in 
procuring  water  at  first,  but  Benham  at  length  took  his  own 
hat,  and  placing  the  rim  between  the  teeth  of  his  companion, 
directed  him  to  wade  into  the  Licking,  up  to  his  neck,  and 
dip  the  hat  into  the  water.  The  man  who  could  walk,  was 
thus  enabled  to  bring  water  by  means  of  his  teeth,  which 
Benham  could  afterwards  dispose  of  as  was  necessary.  When 
the  stock  of  squirrels  and  other  small  game  in  the  neighbor 
hood  was  exhausted,  the  man  on  his  legs  would  roam  away 
and  drive  up  a  flock  of  wild  turkeys,  then  abundant  in  those 
woods,  until  they  came  within  range  of  Benham's  rifle.  Thus 
they  lived  for  six  weeks,  when,  on  the  27th  of  November, 
they  discovered  a  boat  on  the  Ohio  and  were  taken  to  Louis 
ville.  Both  thoroughly  recovered  from  their  wounds.5 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  leading  events  of  1779 — the  abor 
tive  expedition  of  Bowman,  and  the  surprise  of  the  party 
under  Rogers — were  not  likely  to  discourage  Indian  incur 
sions  ;  and  in  June,  1780,  occurred  a  most  formidable  inva 
sion  of  Kentucky.  A  body  of  six  hundred  men,  Canadians 
and  Indians,  commanded  by  Colonel  Byrd,  a  British  officer, 
and  accompanied  by  either  two  or  six  cannon,  marched  up 
the  valley  of  the  Licking.  They  first  appeared  on  the  22d 
of  June,  before  Riddle's  station,  on  the  south  fork  of  that 
river.  There  was  no  alternative  but  a  surrender,  as  the 
cannon  would  have  speedily  prostrated  the  palisades.  Mar 
tin's  Station,  on  the  same  stream,  was  next  taken,  and  then, 
to  the  infinite  relief  and  astonishment  of  the  settlers,  the 
invaders  retreated. 

5)  Butler's  Kentucky,  105. 


SHAWANESE    CAMPAIGNS.  o 

An  expedition  for  the  destruction  of  the  Shawanese  towns, 
which  were  well  known  to  be  the  places  of  rendezvous  for 
these  war-parties,  was  immediately  proclaimed  by  General 
George  Rogers  Clark,  and  within  a  month  a  thousand  men 
nocked  to  his  standard — a  fact  conclusive  of  the  rapid  settle 
ment  of  Kentucky,  notwithstanding  the  discouragements  of 
an  Indian  war.  One  division  of  the  army,  under  Col.  Ben 
jamin  Logan,  descended  the  Licking,  while  another  division, 
commanded  by  Clark,  ascended  the  Ohio  from  the  falls.  The 
present  site  of  Cincinnati  was  the  point  of  rendezvous. 

The  late  Abraham  Thomas,  of  Miami  county,  has  published 
a  statement  which  presents  a  forcible  contrast  to  the  scene 
now  visible  opposite  the  mouth  of  Licking.  His  own  words 
are  :  "In  ascending  the  Ohio,  Daniel  Boone  and  myself 
acted  as  spies  on  the  Kentucky  side  of  the  river,  and  a  large 
party  on  the  Indian  side  was  on  the  same  duty  ;  the  latter 
were  surprised  by  the  Indians,  and  several  killed  arid  wounded. 
After  making  our  destination,  and  before  the  boats  crossed 
over  to  the  Indian  side,  Boone  and  myself  were  taken  into 
the  foremost  boat  and  landed  above  n  small  cut  in  the  bank 
opposite  the  mouth  of  Licking.  We  were  desired  to  spy 
through  the  woods  for  Indian  signs.  I  was  much  younger 
than  Boone,  ran  up  the  bank  in  great  glee,  and  cut  into  a 
beech  tree  with  my  tomahawk,  which  I  verily  believe  was  the 
first  tree  cut  into  by  a  white  man  on  the  present  site  of  Cin 
cinnati.  We  were  soon  joined  by  other  rangers,  and  hunted 
over  the  other  bottom  (the  second  table  of  land,  probably  ;) 
the  forest  every  where  was  thick  set  with  heavy  beech  and 
scattering  underbrush  of  spicewood  and  paw-paw.  We 
started  several  deer,  but  seeing  no  sign  of  Indians,  returned 
to  the  landing."  Here  was  erected  a  small  stockade  for 
stores. 


322  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

On  the  2d  of  August,  General  Clark  took  up  Ids  line  of 
march,  which  was  as  follows  :  the  first  division  under  his  own 
command,  took  the  front  position ;  the  centre  was  occupied 
by  artillery,  military  stores  and  baggage ;  the  second,  com 
manded  by  Col.  Logan,  was  placed  in  the  rear.  The  men 
were  ordered  to  march  in  four  lines,  at  about  forty  yards 
distant  from  each  other,  and  a  line  of  flankers  on  each  side, 
about  the  same  distance  from  the  right  and  left  line.  There 
was  also  a  front  and  rear  guard,  who  only  kept  in  sight  of  the 
main  army.  In  order  to  prevent  confusion,  in  case  of  an 
attack  of  the  enemy  on  the  march,  a  general  order  was 
issued,  that  in  the  event  of  an  attack  in  front,  the  front  was 
to  stand  fast,  and  the  two  right  lines  to  wheel  to  the  right, 
and  the  two  left  lines  to  the  left,  and  form  a  complete  line, 
while  the  artillery  was  to  advance  forward  to  the  centre  of 
the  line.  In  case  of  an  attack  on  either  of  the  flanks  or  side 
lines,  these  lines  were  to  stand  fast,  and  likewise  the  artillery, 
while  the  opposite  lines  wheeled  arid  formed  on  the  two 
extremes  of  those  lines.  In  the  event  of  an  attack  being 
made  in  the  rear,  similar  order  was  to  be  observed  as  in  an 
attack  in  front. 

On  the  6th  of  August,  at  2  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the 
army  reached  Chillicothe  and  found  the  town  in  flames,  the 
Indians  having  deserted  and  fired  it  that  morning.  After 
destroying  several  hundred  acres  of  corn,  on  the  7th  the 
march  was  resumed  at  4  o'clock  in  the  direction  of  Piqua, 
on  the  Mad  River,  twelve  miles  distant.  After  proceeding  a 
mile,  the  men  were  drenched  by  a  thunder-storm  of  rain.  As 
soon  as  it  ceased,  near  dark,  the  army  encamped,  kindled 
fires — discharging  and  reloading  their  guns  by  single  compa 
nies  successively.  'On  the  8th,  shortly  after  noon,  they 
approached  Piqua.  The  Indian  road  from  Chillicothe  to 


3HAWANESE   CAMPAIGNS.  323 

,  which  the  army  followed,  crossed  the  Mad  River 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  below  the  town,  and  as  soon  as 
the  advanced  guard  crossed  into  a  prairie  of  high  weeds, 
they  were  attacked  by  the  Indians,  who  had  concealed  them 
selves  within  the  weeds.  The  ground  on  which  the  attack 
was  made,  as  well  as  the  manner  of  it,  left  no  doubt  that  a 
general  engagement  was  intended.  Col.  Logan  was  there 
fore  ordered,  with  about  four  hundred  men,  to  file  off  to  the 
right,  and  march  up  the  river  on  the  east  side,  and  to  continue 
to  the  upper  end  of  the  town,  so  as  to  prevent  the  Indians 
from  escaping  in  that  direction.  Another  detachment,  under 
Cols.  Lynn,  Floyd  and  Harrod,  was  ordered  to  cross  the 
river  and  encompass  the  town  on  the  west  side ;  while  Gen. 
Clark,  with  the  troops  under  Col.  Shaughter,  and  such  as 
were  attached  to  the  artillery,  marched  directly  towards  the 
town.  The  prairie  in  which  the  Indians  were  concealed, 
who  commenced  the  attack,  was  only  about  two  hundred 
yards  across  to  the  timbered  land,  and  the  division  of  the 
army  destined  to  encompass  the  town  on  the  west  side  found 
it  necessary  to  cross  the  prairie  to  avoid  the  fire  of  a  con 
cealed  enemy.  The  Indians  evinced  great  skill  and  judg 
ment,  and  to  prevent  the  western  division  from  executing  the 
duties  assigned  to  them,  they  made  a  powerful  effort  to  turn 
their  left  wing.  This  was  discovered  by  Lynn  and  Floyd, 
and  to  prevent  being  outflanked,  they  extended  the  line  of 
battle  west  more  than  a  mile  from  the  town,  and  which  con 
tinued  warmly  contested  on  both  sides  until  about  5  o'clock, 
when  the  Indians  disappeared,  except  a  few  in  the  town. 
The  field-piece,  which  had  been  entirely  useless  before,  was 
now  brought  to  bear  upon  the  houses,  when  a  few  shot  dis 
lodged  the  Indians  within  them. 

Pi^ua  was  built  in  the  manner  of  the  French  towns,  and 


o24  HISTORY    OF    0111.0. 

extended  along  the  margin  of  the  river  for  more  than  three 
miles  ;  the  houses,  in  many  places,  being  more  than  twenty 
poles  apart.  Col.  Logan,  therefore,  in  order  to  surround  the 
town  on  the  cast,  as  was  the  order,  marched  fully  three 
miles,  while  the  Indians  turned  their  whole  force  against 
those  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  town ;  and  Logan's  party 
were  not  in  the  action  at  all.  It  is  said  that  the  sudden 
cessation  of  the  Indian  fire  was  caused  by  the  withdrawal 
of  Simon  Girty  and  three  hundred  Wyandot  and  Mingo  Indi 
ans  under  his  command. 

Piqua  was  also  burned  to  the  ground,  and  all  the  cornfields 
in  the  vicinity  devastated.  On  the  10th  of  August,  the  army 
commenced  their  return  march,  and  from  the  mouth  of  Lick 
ing  dispersed  to  their  homes.  The  Kentuckians  lost  seven 
teen  lives  during  the  expedition. 

The  effect  of  this  blow  was  to  reduce  the  Indians  to  the 
necessity  of  extraordinary  efforts  to  support  their  women  and 
children  during  the  ensuing  year — greatly  to  the  relief  of 
the  Kentucky  settlements. 

The  summer  of  1782  was  a  disastrous  season  for  Kentucky. 
Not  only  the  Shawanese,  but  all  the  northwestern  tribes  who 
wrere  accessible  to  British  influence,  scourged  the  channel 
and  valley  of  the  Ohio.  A  party  of  Wyandots,  having  com 
mitted  some  shocking  outrages  near  Estell's  station,  were 
pursued  by  Capt.  Estell  arid  twenty-five  men,  and  a  severe 
conflict  occurred  near  the  present  town  of  Mount  Sterling, 
in  Montgomery  county,  Kentucky.  The  parties  were  of 
equal  strength,  but  Capt.  Estell  divided  his  force  for  the 
purpose  of  attacking  the  enemy  in  rear.  This  was  fatal : 
the  Indian  chief  instantly  charged  across  a  stream  that 
divided  the  combatants,  and  overpowered  the  Kentuckians. 
Captain  Estell  and  eight  of  his  party  were  killed,  and  four 


SIIAWANKSE    CAMPAIGNS.  825 

mortally  wounded.  In  August,  another  Kentucky  settle 
ment,  called  Hoy's  station,  was  visited  by  the  Indians,  by 
whom  two  lads  were  carried  into  captivity.  This  band  was 
also  pursued  by  Captain  Holder,  with  a  party  of  seventeen 
men,  who,  coming  up  with  the  Indians,  were  likewise  defeated 
with  a  loss  of  seven  killed  and  two  wounded. 

On  the  14th  of  August,  Bryant's  station,  five  miles  from 
Lexington,  was  invested  by  five  hundred  Indians  and  Cana 
dians,  led  by  the  notorious  Simon  Girty.  Fortunately  there 
were  assembled  at  this  post  a  body  of  borderers  who  had 
collected  for  the  purpose  of  marching  to  the  relief  of  a  neigh 
boring  station,  and  were  fully  armed,  and  when  the  Indians 
assaulted  the  station  on  the  third  day,  they  were  repulsed 
with  a  loss  of  eighty  killed  and  many  wounded,  and  the  same 
night  abandoned  the  siege.  They  were  pursued  on  their 
retreat  by  Colonels  Todd,  Trigg  and  Boone,  and  Major  Har- 
land,  at  the  head  of  only  one  hundred  and  seventy-six  men. 
It  was  known  that  Col.  Logan  was  on  the  way  to  Bryant's 
station  with  considerable  reinforcements,  but  the  infuriated 
Kentuckians  could  not  be  restrained.  The  Indians  drew  the 
pursuers  into  an  unfortunate  position  on  the  19th,  when  the 
severe  battle  of  Blue  Licks  ensued,  in  which  the  Kentuckians 
were  routed  with  the  loss  of  seventy-six  men ;  among  whom 
were  Colonels  Todd  and  Trigg,  Major  Harland,  and  a  son  of 
Colonel  Boone.  The  battle  lasted  only  fifteen  minutes.  The 
retreat  from  the  field  was-  still  more  disastrous.  The  scene 
of  action  was  on  the  banks  of  the  main  fork  of  Licking 
River,  at  the  great  bend,  forty-three  miles  from  Lexington. 

It  was  a  sad  day,  and  was  long  remembered  as  a  tragic 
anniversary.  The  cry  for  revenge  rang  from  Kenhawa  to 
the  falls  of  Ohio,  and  once  more  a  thousand  volunteers  flocked 
to  the  plain  opposite  the  mouth  of  Licking.  Clark  led  the 


326  HISTORY    OP   OHIO. 

expedition,  and  Col.  Logan,  as  in  1780,  was  in  command  of 
a  division.  The  army  suffered  greatly  from  hunger — their 
supply  of  provisions  being  scanty  and  the  requisite  discipline 
not  suffering  any  diversion  to  obtain  game.  The  route  was 
across  the  Mad  River,  not  far  from  the  present  site  of  Dayton ; 
thence  up  the  east  side  of  the  Miami,  crossing  that  river 
about  four  miles  below  the  Piqua  towns.  Shortly  after 
gaining  the  bottom,  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  a  party  of 
Indians  on  horseback,  with  their  squaws,  came  out  of  a  trail 
that  led  to  some  Indian  villages  near  the  present  site  of 
Greenville.  The  men  took  to  flight,  leaving  their  women  and 
a  female  captive  in  the  hands  of  the  Kentuckians.  On 
arriving  at  Piqua,  that  and  the  adjacent  villages  were  deserted, 
and  so  suddenly,  that  fires  were  burning,  meat  roasting,  and 
corn  still  boiling  in  their  kettles.  The  provisions  were  a  most 
acceptable  treat  to  the  Kentuckians,  who  were  nearly  fam 
ished,  but  the  escape  of  their  enemies  excited  deep  and 
universal  chagrin.  The  work  of  destruction  was  repeated 
as  on  former  occasions.  The  station  of  a  French  trader, 
Loramie,  was  also  destroyed  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  which 
henceforth  bore  his  name — the  same  locality  as  the  English 
Pickawillany,  which  was  destroyed  by  the  French  in  1752. 
During  this  expedition  five  Indians  were  killed,  and  the  loss 
of  the  Kentuckians  was  only  two. 

The  only  other  expedition  of  any  importance,  which  pre 
ceded  the  territorial  organization,  (except  an  abortive  expe 
dition  in  1785,  under  Col.  Edwards,)  was  led  by  Col.  Ben 
jamin  Logan,  in  1786.  In  the  autumn  of  that  year,  Gen. 
Clark  projected  and  raised  the  forces  for  a  campaign  against 
the  Indians  on  the  "Wabash,  and  Col.  Logan  was  detached 
from  the  army  at  the  falls  of  the  Ohio,  to  raise  a  considerable 
force  with  which  to  proceed  against  the  Indian  villages  on 


SIIAWANESE    CAMPAIGNS.  6Zl 

the  head  waters  of  Mad  River  and  the  Great  Miami.  We 
have  an  interesting  narrative  of  this  incursion,  in  the  papers 
of  the  late  Gen.  William  Ljtle,  of  Cincinnati,  who,  although 
a  lad  of  sixteen,  was  present  as  a  volunteer. 

The  Indian  towns  on  the  Mad  River  would  have  been 
completely  surprised,  had  not  one  of  Logan's  men  deserted 
to  the  enemy.  As  it  was,  eight  of  the  Machacheek  villages 
were  burned — numerous  cornfields  destroyed — 70  or  80  war 
riors  taken  prisoners,  and  about  twenty  others  killed,  among 
them  a  distinguished  chief,  Moluntha,  by  a  treacherous  act 
of  one  of  the  officers.  Logan  was  accompanied  by  Daniel 
Boone,  Simon  Kenton,  Robert  Patterson,  and  other  familiar 
names  of  border  history.  The  famous  Grenadier  Squaw  was 
among  the  captives — also  a  young  Indian,  who  was  afterward 
adopted  by  Gen.  Logan,  and  became  a  distinguished  Indian 
ally  of  the  Americans.  He  was  known  as  Captain  Logan, 
although  his  Indian  name  was  Spemica  Lawba,  or  "  High 
Horn." 

Here  we  close  our  outline  of  the  Kentucky  and  Shawanese 
campaigns.  Each  successive  year  of  hostilities  had  removed 
the  line  of  battle  westward ;  for,  while  in  1774,  the  banks 
of  the  Kenhawa  and  the  Scioto  were  the  scene  of  action,  the 
valley  of  the  Little  Miami  was  the  destination  of  Bowman  and 
Clark,  in  1779  and  1780,  and  the  Great  Miami  of  the  expe 
dition  of  1782.  Logan,  in  1786,  penetrated  further  north 
than  any  preceding  invader.  It  was  not  until  the  treaty  of 
Greenville,  in  1795,  that  this  warlike  tribe  finally  submitted 
to  destiny,  and  acquiesced  in  a  permanent  peace. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE    MORAVIAN    MISSIONS    ON  THE    MUSKINGUM, 
FROM    1772    TO    1782. 

IT  is  with  a  decided  sensation  of  relief  that  we  turn  from 
the  repulsive  reiteration  of  Indian  massacre,  and  its  swift 
retaliation,  wrhich  constitutes  so  marked  a  feature  of  Ameri 
can  border  history,  to  the  narrative  of  the  Moravian  Mission. 
While  elsewhere  on  the  Ohio  and  its  tributaries,  war  assumed 
its  most  hideous  and  demoniac  form,  the  Muskingum  yielded 
the  peaceable  fruits  of  righteousness.  Shoenbrun,  the  Beau 
tiful  Spring,  and  Gnadenhutten,  the  Tents  of  Grace,  were  the 
abodes  of  a  Christian  community,  where  the  regeneration  of 
the  gospel  was  abundantly  and  admirably  illustrated.  The 
annals  of  this  colony  of  Indian  converts  have  been  faithfully 
reported  by  the  missionaries,  Heckewelder  and  Zeisberger, 
and  also  by  George  Henry  Loskiel,  historian  of  the  Mission 
of  the  United  Brethren  of  North  America.  Our  purpose  is 
only  to  preserve  a  transcript  of  these  memorials. 

Hitherto,  a  description  of  the  temporary  residence  of  Post 
and  Heckewelder  at  Tuscaroras,  during  the  summer  of  1762, 
and  the  subsequent  emigration  from  the  Susquehanna  and 
Beaver  Rivers  of  Pennsylvania,  in  1772  and  1773,  have 
constituted  our  only  direct  reference  to  the  devoted  Ger 
mans  and  their  aboriginal  congregation.  Although  Post's 
pioneer  mission  was  rudely  interrupted  by  the  general  bor 
der  war  of  1763,  familiarly  known  as  the  conspiracy  of  Pon- 
tiac,  vet  the  attempt  was  not  entirely  fruitless.  The  Indians 

(328) 


THE   MUSKINGUM   MISSION. 

appreciated  its  self-devotion,  and  when  the  Delaware  Coun 
cil  at  Gekelemukpechink  forwarded  their  invitation  to  Zcis- 
berger  to  occupy  the  Muskingum,  it  wras  unquestionably 
prompted  by  the  favorable  impressions  which  had  been  com 
municated  ten  years  previously. 

The  village  of  Shoenbrun,  principally  occupied  by  con 
verted  Delawares,  was  situated  at  the  first  settlement,  on 
the  east  bank  of  the  Muskingum,1  about  two  miles  below 
New  Philadelphia  in  Tuscarawas  county ;  while  the  Mohi 
can  village  of  Gnadenhutten  was  seven  miles  south  of  Shoen 
brun  on  the  same  side  of  the  river.  At  each  place,  a  chapel 
was  built — that  at  Shoenbrun  forty  feet  by  thirty-six — of 
squared  timber,  roofed  with  shingles,  and  surmounted  by  a 
cupola  and  bell.  Heckewelcler  describes  the  towns  as  regu 
larly  laid  out,  with  wide  and  clean  streets,  and  fenced  to 
exclude  cattle ;  presenting  a  neat  and  orderly  appearance, 
which  excited  the  astonishment  of  their  savage  visitors. 
Besides  the  missionaries  already  named,  John  Jacob  Schmick 
arrived  in  August,  17 IT,  and  was  installed  over  the  congre 
gation  at  Gnadenhutten. 

The  indefatigable  Zeisberger,  before  the  close  of  1773, 
had  twice  visited  the  Shawanese  villages.  He  was  accom 
panied  by  the  converted  Delaware  chief,  Glikhikan,  or  Isaac 
by  baptism,  and  another  native  missionary  or  national  assist 
ant.  Their  first  destination  was  Wakatameki,  (probably  at 
the  mouth  of  the  creek  still  so  called,  near  Dresden,  in  Mus 
kingum  county,)  where  they  were  hospitably  received  by  a 
Shawanese  Indian,  whose  father  had  been  an  acquaintance 
of  Zeisberger  in  1755,  in  the  Wyoming  valley  of  Pennsylva 
nia.  The  son  of  Paxnous,  their  present  host,  spoke  the  Del- 

1)  In  177',),  Schoenbrun,  after  a  temporary  desertion,  was  rebuilt  on  the 
opposite  or  west  side  of  the  Muskingum. 

14* 


330  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

aware  language  fluently,  and  accompanied  the  missionaries 
on  their  farther  journey,  which  extended  to  the  "chief  town 
of  the  Shawanese."  Here  the  party  were  entertained  with 
civility  by  a  heathen  teacher  of  great  influence,  who  as 
sembled  the  Indians,  and  gave  Zeisberger  an  opportunity  to 
address  them  in  Delaware,  a  language  generally  understood 
by  those  present.  The  exhortation  made  a  profound  impres 
sion,  and  before  his  departure,  the  missionary  received  a 
message  from  the  chief  and  council  of  the  town,  avowing  a 
determination  to  receive  the  word  of  God,  and  live  in  con 
formity  with  it,"  concluding  with  a  request  that  the  believ 
ing  Indians  and  their  teachers  would  come  and  live  with 
them.  Zeisberger  promised  to  communicate  their  message 
to  his  brethren  at  Bethlehem,  but  the  outbreak  of  Dunmore's 
war  in  the  following  year,  prevented  the  establishment  of  a 
mission.  On  his  second  visit  to  the  Shawanese  country,  in 
September,  1773,  Zeisberger  found  the  head-chief  of  the 
tribe  very  much  exasperated  against  the  whites,  although  his 
reception  of  the  missionary  was  kind.  On  meeting  the  lat 
ter  and  his  companions,  he  gave  them  his  hand,  adding  in  a 
loud  tone,  "  This  day,  God  has  so  ordered,  that  we  should 
see  and  speak  to  each  other  face  to  face." 

Our  impression  that  this  chief  was  the  noted  Cornstalk, 
and  that  the  "chief  town''"  which  the  missionaries  visited, 
was  the  "  Old  Chillicothe"  of  the  Scioto  plains,  is  strength 
ened  by  the  circumstance  mentioned  in  Loskiel,  that  "in 
May,  1775,  the  chief  of  a  large  Shawanese  town  spent  six 
days  agreeably  at  Gnadenhutten,  accompanied  by  his  wife,  a 
captain,  several  councillors,  in  all,  above  thirty  persons." 
Again,  in  Loskiel's  narrative  of  1776,  we  find  the  following 
paragraph :  "In  Gnadenhutten,  arrived  about  this  time,  a 
chief  of  the  Shawanese,  commonly  called  Cornstalk,  with  a 


THE    MUSKINGUM    MISSION.  08! 

retinue  of  upwards  of  an  hundred  persons,  men,  women,  and 
children.  His  behavior  was  courteous,  and  he  showed  a 
particular  friendship  for  the  missionary  Jacob  Schmick,  to 
whom  he  addressed  the  following  speech  through  his  inter 
preter,  an  old  mulatto,  who  had  lived  twenty  years  among 
the  Shawanese:  "I  greatly  rejoice  to  see  you  and  your 
wife.  I  shall  never  forget  the  kindness  you  have  shown  me 
during  my  last  visit.  Therefore,  I  consider  you  and  your 
wife  as  my  parents  and  declare  and  own  you  anew  as  such." 
Brother  Schmick  answered:  "This  is  doing  us  too  much 
honor.  We  shall  be  satisfied  if  you  will  consider  me  as  your 
brother,  and  my  wife  as  your  sister."  He  seemed  pleased, 
and  taking  the  missionary  by  the  hand,  thanked  them,  and 
said:  "I  will  acquaint  all  my  friends  that  we  have  estab 
lished  this  bond  of  friendship."  The  next  spring,  the  mag 
nanimous  chief  was  murdered :  but  the  foregoing  circumstan 
ces  are  sufficient  to  indicate  that  his  well  known  inclination 
to  preserve  the  neutrality  of  his  tribe  during  the  revolu 
tionary  war,  was,  in  a  great  degree,  attributable  to  Mora 
vian  influence. 

Very  soon,  indeed,  after  the  erection  of  this  chapel  in  the 
wilderness,  the  happy  effects  of  the  Muskingum  mission  were 
apparent  among  the  Ohio  Delawares.  A  chief  called  Eeh- 
palawehund,  having  announced  his  resolution  to  renounce 
heathenism  and  live  with  the  brethren,  much  confusion  pre 
vailed  at  Gekelemukpechink.  He  was  prominent  and  influ 
ential,  and  a  party  arose  among  the  Indians  demanding  that 
the  missionaries  should  be  banished  from  the  country,  as 
disturbers  of  the  peace  and  hostile  to  their  customs  and  sac 
rifices.  Another  party  held  a  council  of  three  days  and 
resolved  that  they  would  change  their  manner  of  living ; 
prohibit  drunkenness  ;  exclude  rum  traders  ;  appoint  six  men 


HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

to  preserve  good  order ;  and  thus  give  no  one  a  pretext  for 
leaving  the  town.  A  year  afterward,  however,  these  good 
resolutions  were  so  completely  forgotten  that  Echpalawehund 
abandoned  the  tribe  for  the  communion  of  Gnadenhutten. 

Another  prominent  Delaware  chief,  known  to  the  whites 
as  Captain  John — the  same  detained  by  Col.  Bouquet  at  Fort 
Pitt,  in  17G4 — -joined  the  brethren  in  1776.  He  was  from 
Achsinink,  or  Assiningk,  ("solid  rock,")  on  the  Hockhock- 
ing  lliver,3  and  his  wife  was  a  white  woman,  born  in  Virginia, 
but  from  childhood  a  captive  among  the  Indians.  He 
resigned  his  station  as  chief  and  became  a  zealous  Christian. 
Among  the  converts  were  also  a  son  and  nephew  of  the  old 
and  venerable  chief,  Netawatwes. 

Netawatwes,  or  NettowhatwTays,  wras  the  chief  of  the  Turtle 
Tribe  of  Delawares,  who  absented  himself  at  the  general 
submission  of  the  Delawares  and  Shawanese,  in  1764,  and 
whose  recusancy  Col.  Bouquet  sought  to  punish  by  deposing 
him  from  his  chieftainship*  Although  the  Indians  seemed  to 
acquiesce  in  this  deposition,  and  even  proceeded  to  appoint  a 
successor,  yet  Netawratwes  regained  his  former  position  and 
influence  immediately  on  the  retirement  of  the  invaders,  and 
in  1772  and  afterwards  resided  at  Gekelemukpechink.3  He 
had  warmly  concurred  in  the  original  invitation  to  Zeisberger, 
and  welcomed  the  subsequent  emigration  under  Heckewelder 
and  Rothe,  but  when  it  was  proposed  that  the  missionary, 
Schmick,  should  take  charge  of  the  settlement  at  Gnaden- 

2)  Doubtless  the  well  known  "  standing  stone,"  now  called  Mt.  Pleasant, 
near  Lancaster,  Fairfield  county.    It  is  a  sandstone  formation.    The  base  is 
a  mile  and  a  half  in  circumference ;  the  apex  about  thirty  by  one  hundred 
yards,  resembling,  at  a  distance,  a  huge  pyramid. 

3)  He  was  called  King  Newcomer  by  the  whites;  and  the  village  of  his 
residence  was  probably  on  the  site  of  Newcomers  Town,  in  Tuscarawas 
county.    For  further  particulars  of  this  chief,  and  other  prominent  Dela 
wares,  see  Appendix  No.  VIII. 


THE   MUSKINGUM   MISSION. 

liuttcn,  Loskiel  reports  that  "  Netawatwes  was  of  opinion  that 
they  had  teachers  enough,  for  the  new  one  would  teach  nothing 
but  the  same  doctrine,"  although  he  afterwards  agreed  to  his 
coming. 

Towards  the  close  of  1774,  a  warm  debate  sprung  up 
among  the  Delawares.  Although  the  believing  Indians  had 
been  hospitably  received,  yet  there  had  been  no  act  of  adop 
tion  or  guaranty  by  the  tribe.  Glikhikan,  whose  former  rank 
as  a  warrior  and  an  orator  was  not  forgotten,  often  attended 
the  Indian  council  at  Gekelemukpechink,  by  the  invitation 
of  its  leading  members.  Here  he  often  enforced  the  doc 
trines  and  duties  of  the  gospel,  but  was  not  unmindful  of  the 
material  interests  of  his  brethren.  At  first  he  encountered 
the  opposition  of  old  Netawatwes,  whose  jealousy  of  the 
whites  had  now  overcome  his  prepossessions  in  favor  of  the 
missionaries  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  was  powerfully  sup 
ported  by  the  eloquence  of  Captain  White  Eyes,  who  u  de 
manded  (in  the  words  of  Loskiel)  that  the  Christian  Indians 
should  enjoy  perfect  liberty  of  conscience,  and  their  teachers 
safety  and  protection ;  adding,  that  it  was  but  right  that  the 
believers  should  live  separate  from  the  rest,  and  be  protected 
by  the  chiefs  and  council  against  every  intruder.  But  find 
ing  that  his  remonstrances  would  not  avail,  he  separated 
himself  entirely  from  the  chiefs  and  council.  This  occa 
sioned  great  and  general  surprise,  and  his  presence  being 
considered,  both  by  the  chiefs  and  people,  as  indispensable, 
a  negotiation  commenced,  and  some  Indian  brethren  were 
appointed  arbitrators  (Glikhikan  among  them,  doubtless). 
The  event  was  beyond  expectation  successful,  for  chief  Neta- 
watwes  not  only  acknowledged  the  injustice  done  to  Captain 
White  Eyes,  but  changed  his  mind  with  respect  to  the  believ 
ing  Indians  and  their  teachers,  and  remained  their  constant 


334  HlSTOllY    OF    OHIO. 

friend  to  his  death.  He  likewise  published  this  change  of 
sentiment  to  the  whole  council,  in  presence  of  the  deputies 
from  Shoenbrun  and  Gnadcnhutten.  Captain  White  Eyes 
then  repeated  the  proposal  which  they  had  formerly  rejected  ; 
and  the  council  agreeing  to  it,  an  act  was  made  in  the  name 
of  the  whole  Delaware  nation  to  the  following  effect :  "  From 
this  time  forward  we  solemnly  declare  that  we  will  receive 
the  word  of  God,  and  that  the  believing  Indians  and  their 
teachers  shall  enjoy  perfect  liberty  throughout  the  Indian 
country,  with  the  same  rights  and  privileges  enjoyed  by  other 
Indians.  The  country  shall  be  free  to  all,  and  the  believers 
shall  have  their  right  and  share  in  it,  as  well  as  the  unbe 
lievers.  Whoever  wishes  to  go  to  the  brethren,  and  to 
receive  the  gospel,  shall  be  at  liberty  to  join  them,  and  none 
shall  hinder  him. 

"  Netawatwes  expressed  great  joy  at  this  act  and  declara 
tion,  and  concluded  his  speech  with  these  words :  '  I  am  an 
old  man,  and  know  not  how  long  I  may  live  in  this  world.  I 
therefore  rejoice  that  I  have  been  able  to  make  this  act  of 
which  our  children  and  grandchildren  will  reap  the  benefit ; 
and  now  I  am  ready  to  go  out  of  the  world  whenever  God 
pleases.'  He  sent,  moreover,  the  following  message  to  chief 
Pakanke,  in  Kaskaskunk,  (on  the  Beaver  River,  in  Pennsyl 
vania,  to  whom  Glikhikan  had  been  a  favorite  counsellor.) 
'  You  and  I  are  both  old,  and  know  not  how  long  we  shall 
live.  Therefore  let  us  do  a  good  work  before  we  depart, 
and  leave  a  testimony  to  our  children  and  posterity,  that  we 
have  received  the  word  of  God.  Let  this  be  our  last  will 
and  testament.'  Pakanke  accepted  the  proposal,  and  he  and 
other  chiefs  made  it  known  by  solemn  embassies  in  all  places 
where  it  was  necessary.  For  a  still  greater  security,  a  treaty 
was  set  on  foot  with  the  Delamattenoos,  (Wyandots)  who 


THE    MUSKINGUM    MISSION.  335 

had  given  this  part  of  the  country  to  the  Delawares  about 
thirty  years  before,  by  which  a  grant  was  procured  insuring 
to  the  believing  Indians  an  equal  right  with  the  other  Dela- 
warcs  to  possess  land  in  it.  And  that  this  transaction  might 
be  duly  ratified  in  the  Indian  manner,  and  the  act  remain 
unrepealed,  the  Christian  Indians  sent  a  formal  embassy  to 
the  chiefs  and  council  of  the  Delaware  nation,  to  return  their 
humble  thanks  for  it.  The  deputies  repeated  the  whole 
declaration  of  the  council  concerning  the  believing  Indians 
and  their  teachers,  and  Netawatwes  confirmed  it  to  be  their 
own  act  and  deed  in  presence  of  all  the  people  ;  adding  that 
they  had  called  the  Indian  congregation  and  their  missionaries 
into  this  country,  and  that  all  the  words  now  repeated  by  the 
deputies  had  been  spoken  and  ratified  by  this  council.  Then 
the  deputies  proceeded  to  return  thanks  in  the  name  of  both 
congregations,  delivering  several  belts  of  wampum,  which 
were  forwarded  to  the  neighboring  nations.  They  were 
made  without  ornaments,  and  immediately  known  by  their 
plainness  to  be  the  belts  of  the  Christian  Indians.  Thus  this 
important  business  was  concluded  and  confirmed  in  due 
form." 

We  regard  this  transaction  as  corroborating  so  fully  our 
opinions  of  the  prominence  of  the  Moravian  mission,  at  the 
outbreak  of  the  American  Revolution,  and  the  corresponding 
influence  of  the  missionaries,  not  only  among  the  Delawares 
but  with  the  other  Ohio  tribes — an  influence  which  was  po 
tently  exercised  to  preserve  their  relation  of  neutrality  be 
tween  the  parties  to  that  struggle — that  we  shall  cite  Hecke- 
welder  in  reiteration  and  confirmation  of  the  European 
annalist : 

"  In  other  respects,"  he  says,  "  this  year  (1774)  had  been 
remarkable  to  the  Christian  Indians.  First,  the  chiefs  of  the 


336  HISTORY  OF  oino. 

nation,  both  on  the  Muskingum  and  at  Cushcushkee,4  had 
unitedly  agreed  and  declared  that  the  brethren  should  have 
full  liberty  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  nation  wherever  they 
chose ;  and  this  resolution  they  also  made  publicly  known. 
And  secondly,  these  seeing  that  their  friends  and  relations 
pursued  agriculture,  and  kept  much  cattle,  they  enlarged  the 
tract  of  land  first  set  apart  to  them  by  moving  their  people 
off  to  a  greater  distance.  And  consulting  their  uncles,  the 
Wyaridots,  on  the  subject,  (they  being  the  nation  from  whom 
the  Delawares  had  originally  received  the  land)  these  set 
apart,  granted  and  confirmed,  all  that  country  lying  between 
Tuscaroras  (old  town)  and  the  great  bend  below  Newcom- 
erstown,5  a  distance  of  upwards  of  thirty  miles  on  the  river, 
and  including  the  same,  to  the  Christian  Indians.  Two  large 
belts  of  wampum  were  on  this  occasion  delivered  by  the 
Wyandots,  and  the  chiefs  of  the  Delaware  nation,  to  the 
Christian  Indians,  who,  in  return,  thanked  them  for  the  gift, 
both  verbally  and  by  belts  and  strings  of  wampum." 

"Meanwhile,"  says  Loskiel,  "  Gekelemukpechink  was  for 
saken  by  its  inhabitants,  and  a  new  town  built  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Muskingum,  opposite  to  the  influx  of  the  Wai- 
handing.  This  town  was  called  Goschhocking,  and  chief 
Netawatwes  chose  it  for  his  future  residence." 

Under  these  auspicious  circumstances,  the  year  1775  com 
menced,  and  proved  a  season  of  external  repose  and  internal 
prosperity  to  the  mission.  "  The  rest  enjoyed  by  the  Indian 
congregation,  in  the  year  1775,  was  peculiarly  pleasing," 

4)  A  town  on  the  Beaver  River. 

5)  In  a  communication  by  John  Heckewelder,  in  1822,  to  the  Secretary 
of  War,  the  limits  of  this  grant  are  thus  described — "  to  extend  from  the 
mouth  of  One  Legged  creek  to  the  great  bend  in  the  river  below  Gakala- 
mukpeking,  old  town,  a  distance  of  about  thirty  miles  on  the  river,  and 
from  which  tract  two  small  Indian  villages  were  removed,  besides  single 
families,  so  as  to  open  the  country  at  once  to  the  Christian  Indians  entirely." 


THE   MUSKINGUM   MISSION.  887 

says  Loskiel,  "  and  much  favored  the  visits  of  strangers,  who 
came  in  such  numbers  that  the  chapel  at  Schoenbrun,  which 
might  contain  about  five  hundred  hearers,  was  too  small." 
At  the  close  of  this  year  their  number  amounted  to  four 
hundred  and  fourteen  persons.  All  were  in  the  enjoyment 
of  the  comforts,  almost  the  luxuries,  of  civilization  ;  the  lives 
and  deaths  of  the  aboriginal  converts,  as  reported  to  us,  were 
very  exemplary  ;  while  the  children  were  zealously  taught  in 
schools,  into  which  the  missionary  Zeisberger  had  introduced 
a  spelling-book,  published  in  the  Delaware  language. 

In  April,  1776,  Zeisberger  and  Heckewelder  founded 
another  settlement  within  two  miles  of  Goschocking,  and 
called  it  Lichtenau.  This  spot  had  been  selected  by  the 
chiefs  themselves,  according  to  Heckewelder,  "that  they,  as 
wTell  as  their  children,  might  have  an  opportunity  of  hearing 
the  gospel  preached — a  wish  which  the  old  and  principal 
chief,  Netawatwes,  had  repeatedly  informed  them  of,  both  by 
public  and  private  messages." 

The  external  relations  of  the  mission,  (to  adopt  a  favorite 
expression  of  the  Moravian  historians)  have  been  incidentally 
included  in  our  narrative  of  the  efforts  of  the  Delaware 
peace-chiefs  to  preserve  the  neutrality  of  the  nation.  As 
Netawatwes  and  the  other  chiefs  at  the  forks  of  the  Mus- 
kingum,  were  the  protectors  of  the  missionaries,  and  concur 
red  in  the  pacific  dispositions  of  the  Christian  Indians,  their 
interests  and  sympathies  in  that  respect  were  identical  ;  and 
the  American  people  unquestionably  owe  to  the  locality  and 
labors  of  the  Moravian  teachers  at  this  critical  period,  that  a 
general  combination  of  the  western  Indians  was  postponed 
until  1780 — a  date  when  the  French  alliance  and  the  increase 
of  population  on  the  southern  bank  of  the  Ohio,  concurred 

to  arrest  its  most  disastrous  consequences. 
15 


338  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

Netawatwes  died  at  Pittsburgh  towards  the  close  of  1770. 
"Ever  since  his  sentiments  had  changed  in  favor  of  the 
gospel,  he  was  a  faithful  friend  of  the  brethren,  and  being 
one  of  the  most  experienced  chiefs  in  his  time,  his  council 
proved  often  most  serviceable  to  the  mission.  The  vrish  lie 
uttered  as  his  last  will  and  testament,  that  the  Delaware 
nation  might  hear  and  believe  the  word  of  God,  preached  by 
the  brethren,  was  frequently  repeated  in  the  council  by  his 
successor,  and  then  they  renewed  their  covenant  to  use  their 
utmost  exertions  to  fulfill  this  last  wish  of  their  old  worthy 
and  honored  chief.  Upon  such  an  occasion,  Captain  White 
Eyes,  holding  the  Bible  and  some  spelling-books  in  his  hand, 
addressed  the  council  with  great  emotion,  and  even  with  tears : 
'  My  friends,'  said  he,  '  you  now  have  heard  the  last  will  and 
testament  of  our  departed  chief.  I  will  therefore  gather 
together  my  young  men  and  their  children,  and  kneeling 
down  before  that  God  who  created  them,  will  pray  unto  him, 
that  he  may  have  mercy  upon  us,  and  reveal  his  will  unto 
us.  And  as  we  cannot  declare  it  unto  those  who  are  yet 
unborn,  we  will  pray  unto  the  Lord  our  God,  to  make  it 
known  to  our  children  and  children's  children.'  "6 

The  year  1777,  already  noticed  as  the  period  when  the 
Shawanese  joined  the  Indians  of  the  lakes  against  the  Amer 
icans,  brought  severe  trials  to  the  Moravian  colony.  The 
inhabitants  of  Shoenbrun  were  mostly  Delawares,  and  were 
constantly  tempted  by  the  Muncie,  or  war  party  of  the  nation, 
to  abandon  the  missionaries.  Newallike,  a  Muncie  chief 
hitherto  belonging  to  the  congregation  at  Schoenbrun,  and 
who  had  accompanied  the  emigration  from  the  Susquehanna, 

6)  LoskieVs  North  American  Missions,  part  iii.,  116.  The  quotations  from 
Loskiel,  in  the  present  chapter,  are  numerous,  and  often  made  without  spe 
cial  reference  to  the  author,  except  by  inverted  commas.  Heckewelder's 
Narrative  will  be  specially  alluded  to. 


THE   MUSKINGUM   MISSION.  339 

was  the  first  to  apostatize,  and  his  example  was  followed  by 
so  many  that  finally  Zeisberger  gathered  the  faithful  remnant 
together  and  abandoned  Schoenbrun — thus  increasing  the 
population  of  Gnadenhutten  and  Lichtenau.  Soon  after 
wards,  the  missionaries  Heckewelder  and  Youngman  returned 
to  Bethlehem. 

Thenceforth  the  efforts  of  the  Wyandots  and  Shawanese 
to  involve  the  Delawares  at  Goschocking  in  the  warfare 
against  the  colonies,  were  urgent  and  incessant.  The  mes 
sages  of  the  Wyandots,  and  the  deference  with  which  they 
were  received,  confirm  the  impression  that  the  Delawares 
recognized  the  Wyandots  as  the  original  lords  of  the  soil,  and 
that  they  were  denizens  of  Ohio  by  the  grace  of  their  northern 
neighbors.  Still,  this  tradition  was  not  offensively  suggested, 
nor  did  it  impair  the  independence  of  the  Delawares.  In 
July,  1TT7,  Loskiel  informs  us  that  an  embassy  of  twenty 
deputies  from  the  Hurons  arrived  in  Goschocking.  They 
offered  the  war-belt  three  times  successively,  demanding  the 
assistance  of  the  Delawares  to  make  war  against  the  colonies, 
and  declaring  that  all  the  nations  on  Lake  Erie  were  united 
as  one  man  to  fight  against  the  Americans ;  but  the  Dela 
ware  chiefs  returned  the  war-belt  and  answered  that  they 
could  not  comply  with  their  demand,  having  promised  at  the 
treaty  of  peace  made  after  the  last  war,  that  as  long  as  the 
sun  should  shine  and  the  rivers  flow,  they  would  not  fight 
against  the  white  people  ;  that  therefore  they  had  no  hand 
left  to  take  up  the  war-belt.  The  ambassadors  returned, 
greatly  displeased  with  the  answer,  and  the  Moravians  anti 
cipated  nothing  less  than  an  attack  by  the  Indian  allies  of 
the  English. 

Early  in  August,  they  were  alarmed  by  intelligence,  that 
a  body  of  two  hundred  Wyandots  led  by  Pomoacan,  the 


o4U  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

Half  King  of  Upper  Sanduskj,  were  on  the  way  to  Lich- 
tenau.  "After  mature  consideration,"  to  resume  the  narra 
tive  of  Loskiel,  "the  brethren  resolved  to  show  no  signs  of 
fear,  but  to  gain  these  savages,  by  giving  them  a  kind  recep 
tion.  Oxen  and  pigs  were  killed,  and  other  food  profided, 
and  the  liberality  of  the  Indian  Brethren  and  Sisters  in  con 
tributing  to  these  preparations,  was  truly  remarkable,  for 
they  considered  it  as  the  only  means  of  saving  the  lives  of 
their  beloved  teachers.  August  the  8th,  the  warriors  ar 
rived  in  Goschocking,  and  upon  their  meeting  a  number  of 
the  Christian  Indians  from  Lichtenau,  carrying  provisions 
for  them,  their  surprise  and  pleasure  were  equally  great. 
The  good  humor  which  this  occasioned,  was  improved  by  the 
assistants,  who  soon  after  sent  a  solemn  embassy  to  the  Half 
King  and  other  chiefs  of  the  Hurons.  Isaac  Glikhikan  thus 
addressed  them: 

"'  Uncle  !  we,  your  cousins,  the  congregation  of  believing 
Indians  at  Lichtenau  and  Gnadenhutten,  rejoice  at  the 
opportunity  to  see  and  speak  with  you.  We  cleanse  your 
eyes  from  all  the  dust,  and  whatever  the  wind  may  have 
carried  into  them,  that  you  may  see  your  cousin  with  clear 
eyes  and  a  serene  countenance.  We  cleanse  your  ears  and 
hearts  from  all  evil  reports  which  an  evil  wind  may  have 
conveyed  into  your  ears,  and  even  into  your  hearts  on  the 
journey,  that  our  words  may  find  entrance  into  your  ears 
and  a  place  in  your  hearts.'  Here  he  delivered  a  string  of 
wampum  and  proceeded :  '  Uncle !  hear  the  words  of  the 
believing  Indians,  your  cousins,  at  Lichtenau  and  Gnaden 
hutten.  We  would  have  you  know,  that  we  have  received 
and  believed  in  the  word  of  God  for  thirty  years  and  up 
wards,  and  meet  daily  to  hear  it,  morning  and  evening. 
You  must  also  know,  that  wTe  have  our  teachers  dwelling 


THE   MUSKINGUM   MlSrilUJN.  o41 

among  us,  who  instruct  us  and  our  children.  By  this  word 
of  God,  preached  to  us  by  our  teachers,  we  are  taught  to 
keep  peace  with  all  men,  and  to  consider  them  as  friends ; 
for  thus  God  has  commanded  us,  and  therefore  we  are  lovers 
of  peace.  These  our  teachers  are  not  only  our  friends,  but 
we  consider  and  love  them  as  our  own  flesh  and  blood. 
Now,  as  we  are  your  cousin,  we  most  earnestly  beg  of  you, 
Uncle,  that  you  also  would  consider  them  as  your  own  body, 
and  as  your  cousin.  We  and  they  make  but  one  body,  and 
therefore  cannot  be  separated,  and  whatever  you  do  unto 
them,  you  do  unto  us,  whether  it  be  good  or  evil.'  Here 
upon,  another  string  of  wampum,  several  fathoms  in  length, 
was  delivered.  The  Half  King  replied,  that  these  words 
had  penetrated  his  heart,  and  that  he  would  immediately 
consult  with  his  warriors  about  them.  This  being  done,  he 
returned  the  following  answer  to  the  deputies :  '  Cousins ! 
I  am  very  glad,  and  feel  great  satisfaction  that  you  have 
cleansed  my  eyes,  ears,  and  heart  from  all  evil,  conveyed 
into  me  by  the  wind  on  this  journey.  I  am  upon  an  expedi 
tion  of  an  unusual  kind ;  for  I  am  a  warrior,  and  am  going 
to  war,  and  therefore  many  evil  things  and  evil  thoughts 
enter  into  my  head,  and  even  into  my  heart.  But  thanks 
to  my  cousin,  my  eyes  are  now  clear,  so  that  I  can  behold 
my  cousin  with  a  serene  countenance.  I  rejoice,  that  I  can 
hear  my  cousins  with  open  ears,  and  take  their  words  to 
heart.'  He  then  delivered  a  string  of  wampum,  and  re 
peating  all  the  words  of  the  deputies  relating  to  the  mission 
aries,  he  expressed  his  approbation  of  them,  and  added: 
c  Go  on  as  hitherto,  and  suffer  no  one  to  molest  you.  Obey 
your  teachers,  who  speak  nothing  but  good  unto  you,  and 
instruct  you  in  the  ways  of  God,  and  be  not  afraid  that  any 
harm  shall  be  done  unto  them.  No  creature  shall  hurt 


842  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

them.  Attend  to  your  worship,  and  never  mind  other  affairs. 
Indeed  you  see  us  going  to  war ;  but  you  may  remain  easy 
and  quiet,  and  need  not  think  much  about  it,'  &c. 

"  During  these  transactions,  the  brethren  at  Lichtenau 
were  under  great  apprehensions,  fearing  the  event.  The 
deputies  had  therefore  agreed,  that  as  soon  as  they  should 
perceive  that  the  Half  King  spoke  in  an  angry  tone,  they 
would  send  a  messenger  full  speed  to  Lichtenau,  before  he 
concluded  his  speech,  that  the  whole  congregation  might 
take  flight.  So  much  the  greater  was  the  joy  of  all,  when 
the  affair  took  so  favorable  a  turn,  and  every  one  felt  him 
self  excited  to  thank  and  praise  the  Almighty  Saviour  of  his 
people,  for  having  heard  the  numberless  sighs  arid  prayers 
offered  up  to  him  at  this  critical  juncture.  The  word  of 
Scripture  for  the  day  was:  'Sing  aloud  unto  God  our 
strength:  make  a  joyful  noise  unto  the  God  of  Jacob.1 — Ps. 
Ixxxi,  1.  This  was  done  with  one  accord,  and  with  a  full 
heart. 

"  The  same  day,  Half  King,  the  chief  captain,  and  eighty- 
two  warriors  came  to  Lichtenau.  They  were  first  shown 
into  the  school-house,  where  the  missionaries  Zeisbergcr  and 
William  Edwards  received  them.  They  shook  hands  with 
all  they  met,  and  the  Half  King  spoke  as  follows :  '  We 
rejoice  to  see  our  father,  and  to  take  him  by  the  hand :  from 
this  time  forth  we  will  consider  you  as  our  father,  and  you 
shall  own  and  consider  us  as  your  children,  nor  shall  any  thing 
ever  disturb  your  minds  in  this  respect,  but  our  covenant  shall 
remain  firm  forever.  We  will  also  acquaint  the  other  nations 
with  the  proceedings  of  this  day,  and  they  will  doubtless 
rejoice.'  Zeisberger  answered  this  friendly  compliment  in  a 
proper  manner,  after  which  the  missionaries  and  some  Indian 
brethren  dined  with  the  Half  Kino;  and  his  officers,  under  a 


THE    MUSK1XGUAI    MISSION.  848 

hut  made  of  green  boughs :  the  other  warriors  seated  them 
selves  in  the  shade  in  front  of  the  place,  and  were  so  richly 
provided  with  food,  that  after  having  made  a  hearty  meal, 
each  could  carry  a  large  portion  with  him  to  Goschocking, 
to  which  place  they  all  returned  in  the  evening.  "  The  Half 
King  then  sent  messengers  to  the  English  governor  in  Detroit, 
and  to  the  chiefs  in  the  Huron  country,  to  give  them  an  account 
of  the  covenant  made  with  the  believing  Indians,  adding  that 

O  O 

he  and  his  warriors  had  acknowledged  the  white  brethren  to 
be  their  father  and  would  ever  own  them  as  such." 

During  the  first  alarm,  the  missionary  Schmick  and  his 
wife  were  persuaded  by  the  Indians  to  fly  to  Pittsburgh, 
whence  they  returned  to  Bethlehem,  leaving  Zeisberger  and 
William  Edwards  in  charge  of  the  congregations.  The  band 
of  Indians  under  Half  King  increased  to  two  hundred,  com 
posed,  according  to  Loskiel,  of  "  Hurons,  Iroquois,  Ottawas, 
Chippeways,  Shawanose,  Wampanos,  and  Potaworitakas," 
besides  some  Canadian  French.  It  was  a  full  fortnight  before 
the  inhabitants  of  Lichtenau  were  relieved  of  their  presence 
in  the  vicinity. 

For  a  period  of  four  years,  the  mission  experienced  no 
serious  annoyance  from  the  Ohio  savages :  but  the  friendship 
of  the  Hurons,  and  the  fact  that  their  war-parties  usually 
traversed  the  Moravian  villages  on  their  march  to  Pennsyl 
vania  and  Virginia,  exposed  Gnadenhutten  and  Lichtenau 
to  the  danger  of  attack  by  the  American  borderers.  On  one 
occasion  these  villages  were  deserted,  and  the  inhabitants  fled 
up  the  Walhonding,  alarmed  by  a  false  report,  that  an  armed 
band  of  Virginians  were  marching  against  the  Delaware 
towns :  while  in  October,  1TT7,  a  party  which  had  actually 
started  upon  such  an  expedition,  was  cut  off  by  the  Half  King 
of  the  Hurons. 


o44  HISTORY  OK  oiiio. 

As  long  as  the  Delaware  chiefs  at  Goschocking  were  de 
termined  to  preserve  their  neutrality,  Lichtenau,  only  two 
miles  distant,  was  the  principal  seat  of  the  mission.  Indeed, 
in  April,  1778,  Gnadenhutten  was  abandoned  on  account  of 
the  annoyances  of  "  freebooters  belonging  to  the  whites,"  and 
the  whole  community  concentrated  at  Lichtenau.  But  in 

1779,  the  neighborhood  of  Goschocking  became  less  desira 
ble.     After  the  death  of  Captain  White  Eyes,  in  the  autumn 
of  1778,  the  English  party  among  the  Delawares  rapidly 
increased — with  the  evacuation  of  Fort  Laureris  by  the  Amer 
icans,  the  peace-chiefs  and  their  few  adherents  were  compelled 
to  retire  to  the  vicinity  of  Pittsburgh  ;  and  thus,  late  in  the 
summer  of  1779,  the  Christian  Indians  stood  alone,  within 
the  present  limits  of  Ohio,  in  the  resolution  to  observe  a  neu 
trality  between  the  contending  whites.     The  inhabitants  of 
Goschocking  thenceforth  sought  to  molest  their  peace-loving 
neighbors  in  various  ways ;  and  their  robberies,  drunkenness 
and  other  outrages  became  so  insupportable  to  the  congrega 
tion,  that  Gnadenhutten  was  at  length  reb'ccupied;  Shoen- 
brun  rebuilt,  although  on  the  opposite  side  or  west  side  of  the 
Muskingum,  and   Lichtenau  itself,  on  the  30th  of  March, 

1780,  was,  in  turn  abandoned,  and  a  new  settlement,  called 
Salem,  established  about  five  miles  below  Gnadenhutten. 

In  May,  1780,  Loskiel  mentions  the  arrival  of  "  the  single 
sister,  Sarah  Ohneberg,  who  afterwards  married  John  Heck- 
ewelder."  Their  eldest  daughter,  Mary  Hecke welder,  was 
born  at  Salem  on  the  16th  of  April,  1781,  and  is  generally 
supposed  to  have  been  the  first  born  of  white  American  chil 
dren,  north  of  the  Ohio.  In  July,  1781,  an  arrangement  of 
religious  teachers  was  effected,  by  which  David  Zeisberger 
superintended  the  whole  mission,  but  particularly  served  the 
congregation  at  Schoenbrun,  assisted  by  John  George  Young- 


THE    MUriKlNGUM    MISSION.  o4o 

man;  while  Gottlob  Senseman  and  William  Edwards  were 
stationed  at  Gnadenhutten,  and  John  Heckewelder  and 
Michael  Young  at  Salem.  The  missionary  Shebosch,  who 
was  married  to  an  Indian  convert,  also  returned  from  Beth 
lehem  in  November,  1780. 

It  was  the  peculiar  hardship  of  these  inoffensive  religion 
ists,  that  ever\7  act  of  benevolence  or  humanity  on  their 
part,  was  sure  to  excite  distrust  and  hostility  in  some  quar 
ter.  If  a  Avar-party  from  the  lakes  halted  near  their  towns, 
and  in  obedience  to  universal  Indian  usage,  were  furnished 
with  a  meal  of  victuals:  or  if,  on  their  return,  the  missiona 
ries  interposed  to  ransom  a  prisoner,  the  rumor  ran  through 
the  settlements  that  the  Moravian  Indians  were  leagued  with 
the  hostile  savages.  On  the  other  hand,  the  English  emis 
saries,  McKee,  Elliott  and  Girty,  made  frequent  and  bitter 
complaints  that  Zeisberger  and  his  companions  were  in  the 
habit  of  sending  runners  to  the  American  commandant  at 
Pittsburgh,  when  informed  that  the  Indians  were  meditating 
an  expedition  upon  some  particular  point  of  the  Virginia 
border.  There  is  no  doubt  that  such  was  frequently  the 
case.  So  far,  the  Moravians  deviated  from  a  strict  neutral 
ity,  yet  their  motive  was  the  simple  suggestion  of  humanity 
— in  no  sense  political — and  it  is  a  melancholy  reflection 
that  such  acts  of  disinterested  kindness  were  so  ill-requited, 
as  we  shall  see  in  the  sequel.  Still,  it  is  due  to  the  impetu 
ous  settlers  of  the  upper  Ohio,  to  add,  that  whatever  ap 
peared  like  a  complication  of  the  Christian  Indians  with  the 
savage  enemy,  was  so  notorious  as  to  provoke  exaggeration, 
while  the  evidence  of  an  opposite  or  friendly  disposition  was 
diligently  guarded  by  Morgan,  Mclntosh  or  Brodhead — the 
American  officers  at  Pittsburgh — as  confidential  communi 
cations 


•346  liiSTUKY    UJb1    OHIO. 

In  the  summer  of  1781,  there  was  an  illustration  of  the 
different  sentiments  with  which  the  Moravians  were  regar 
ded  by  the  American  officers  and  the  militia  under  their 
command.  Colonel  Daniel  Brodhead,  then  stationed  at 
Pittsburgh,  led  an  expedition  against  Goschocking,  the  Del 
aware  town  on  the  east  bank  of  Muskingum,  and  on  his 
march  thither,  halted  about  five  miles  below  Salem.  Here 
he  addressed  a  note  to  Heckewelder,  requesting  a  supply  of 
provisions,  and  that  the  missionary  would  visit  his  camp. 
Heckewelder  hastened  to  comply,  and  personally  received 
from  the  American  officer  assurances  that  his  troops  should 
not  molest  the  Moravian  Indians,  who  had  conducted  them 
selves,  he  proceeded  to  say,  in  a  manner  that  did  them 
honor,  and  that  neither  the  English  or  Americans  could  with 
justice  reproach  them  with  improper  conduct  in  their  situa 
tion.  While  Col.  Brodhead  was  speaking,  however,  an 
officer  hastily  entered  to  inform  him  that  a  body  of  militia 
were  about  "breaking  off  for  the  purpose  of  destroying  the 
Moravian  settlements  up  the  river,"  and  it  was  with  great 
difficulty  that  the  commanding  officer,  aided  by  Col.  David 
Shepherd  of  Wheeling,  could  restrain  the  men  from  adding 
such  an  outrage  to  the  other  acts  of  inhumanity  which 
attended  this  Coshocton  campaign,  and  which  will  hereafter 
occupy  our  attention. 

Immediately  after  this  Coshocton  campaign,  a  deeply 
interesting  interview  occurred  between  a  distinguished  Dela 
ware  chief,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  Moravian  villages. 
Heckewelder  calls  him  "  the  head  war  chief  of  the  Delaware 
nation,"  and  we  are  satisfied  that  he  is  the  same  individual 
of  whom  we  first  hear  in  the  French  and  English  war  as 
"Shingess;"  next,  in  1762,  as  Bog  Meadow  or  King  Shin- 
gas;  now  in  1781,  as  Pachgantschihilas ;  again  in  1785,  at 


THE   MUSKINOUM   MISSION.  347 

tin  Indian  Council  near  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Miami,  as 
Pacanchichilas,  and  long  afterwards  as  the  Bockingehelas, 

whom  many  of  the  early  settlers  of  Ohio  recollect  to  have 
been  living  in  1804,  at  a  great  age.  This  chief,  on  the 
present  occasion,  was  accompanied  by  eighty  warriors,  who 
silently  surrounded  Gnadenhutten  before  day  break.  As 
they  approached,  the  town  was  hailed,  and  their  leader 
demanded  the  delivery  of  Gellelemend  or  Killbuck  and  the 
other  peace-chiefs  of  the  Delawares.  He  was  informed  that 
they  had  gone  to  Pittsburgh  some  time  before,  and  after  a 
strict  search,  the  Indians  were  satisfied  that  they  were  not 
in  the  town.  The  nation  now  being  at  war,  these  peace- 
chiefs  had  become  subordinate  to  the  war-chiefs,  and  Pach- 
gantschihilas  was  determined  to  remove  them  where  they 
could  exercise  no  function,  until  their  services  were  required 
to  conclude  a  peace. 

The  Delaware  chief  then  demanded  that  deputies  from  the 
three  Moravian  towns  should  be  assembled,  and  he  proceeded 
to  address  them,  according  to  Heckewelder,  as  follows : 

"Friends  and  kinsmen!  Listen  to  what  I  have  to  say  to 
you.  You  see  a  great  and  powerful  nation  divided.  You 
see  the  father  fighting  against  the  son,  and  the  son  against 
the  father.  The  father  has  called  on  his  Indian  children  to 
assist  him  in  punishing  his  children,  the  Americans,  who  have 
become  refractory.  I  took  time  to  consider  what  I  should 
do — whether  or  not  I  would  receive  the  hatchet  of  my  father 
to  assist  him.  At  first  I  looked  upon  it  as  a  family  quarrel, 
in  which  I  was  not  interested.  However,  at  length  it 
appeared  to  me  that  the  father  was  in  the  right,  and  his  chil 
dren  deserved  to  be  punished  a  little.  That  this  must  be  the 
case,  I  concluded  from  the  many  cruel  acts  his  offspring  had 
committed  from  time  to  time  on  his  Indian  children ;  in  en- 


348  liLSTOKY    OK    OHIO. 

croaching  on  their  lands,  stealing  their  property,  shooting  at, 
and  murdering  without  cause,  men,  women  and  children  ! 
Yes  !  even  murdering  those  who  at  all  times  had  been  friendly 
to  them,  and  were  placed  for  protection  under  the  roof  of 
their  father's  house — the  father  himself  standing  sentry  at 
the  door  at  the  time  !7 

"  Friends  and  relatives ! — Often  has  the  father  been  obliged 
to  settle  and  make  amends  for  the  wrongs  and  mischiefs  done 
to  us  by  his  refractory  children,  yet  these  do  not  grow  better. 
No  !  they  remain  the  same,  and  will  continue  to  be  so  as  long 
as  we  have  any  land  left  us.  Look  back  at  the  murders 
committed  by  the  Long  Knives  (Virginians)  on  many  of  our 
relations,  who  lived  peaceable  neighbors  to  them  on  the  Ohio  ! 
Did  they  not  kill  them  without  the  least  provocation  ?  Are 
they,  do  you  think,  better  now  than  they  were  then  ?  No, 
indeed  not,  and  many  days  are  not  elapsed  since  you  had  a 
number  of  these  very  men  near  your  doors,  who  panted  to 
kill  you,  but  fortunately  were  prevented  from  so  doing  by  the 
Great  Sun,8  who,  at  that  time,  had,  by  the  Great  Spirit,  been 
ordained  to  protect  you. 

"  Friends  and  relatives  ! — You  love  that  which  is  good,  and 
wish  to  live  in  peace  with  all  mankind,  and  at  a  place  where 
you  may  not  be  disturbed  whilst  praying.  You  are  very 
right  in  this,  and  I  do  not  reproach  you  in  having  made  the 
choice.  But,  my  friends  and  relatives,  does  the  place  you 
are  at  present  settled  at  answer  this  purpose  ?  Do  you  not 
live  in  the  very  road  the  contending  parties  pass  over  when 
they  go  to  fight  each  other  ?  Have  you  not  discovered  the 
footsteps  of  the  Long  Knives  almost  within  sight  of  your 

7)  The  allusion  here  is  to  the  slaughter  of  the  Conestoga  Indians,  of 
Pennsylvania,  by  a  mob  of  whites,  although  they  had  taken  refuge  in  Lan 
caster  jail. 

8)  A  name  given  by  the  Indians  to  Col.  Brodhcad. 


THE   MUSKINGUM    MISSION.  349 

towns,  and  seen  the  smoke  arising  from  their  camps  ?  Should 
not  this  be  sufficient  warning  to  you,  and  lead  you  to  consult 
your  own  safety  ?  We  have  long  since  turned  our  faces 
towards  your  habitations,  in  the  expectation  of  seeing  you 
come  from  where  you  now  are  to  us,  where  you  would  be  out 
of  danger ;  but  you  were  so  engaged  in  praying  that  you 
did  not  discover  our  anxiety  for  your  sakes. 

"Friends  and  relatives! — Now  listen  to  me  and  hear  what 
I  have  to  say  to  you.  I  am  myself  come  to  bid  you  rise 
and  go  with  me  to  a  secure  place.  Do  not,  my  friends,  covet 
the  land  you  now  hold  under  cultivation.  I  will  conduct 
you  to  a  country9  equally  good,  where  your  fields  shall  yield 
you  abundant  crops,  and  where  your  cattle  shall  find  abun 
dant  pasture  ;  where  there  is  plenty  of  game  ;  where  your 
women  and  children,  together  with  yourselves,  will  live  in 
peace  and  safety ;  where  no  Long  Knife  shall  ever  molest 
you.  Nay,  I  will  live  between  you  and  them,  and  not  even 
suffer  them  to  frighten  you.  There  you  can  worship  your 
God  without  fear.  Here,  where  you  are,  you  cannot  do 
this.  Think  on  what  I  have  now  said  to  you,  and  believe 
that  if  you  stay  where  you  now  are,  one  day  or  the  other, 
the  Long  Knives  will,  in  their  usual  way,  speak  fine  words 
to  you,  and  at  the  same  time  murder  you." 

In  the  course  of  an  hour,  the  Christian  Indians  replied  to 
the  foregoing  address  with  thanks  for  the  kind  expressions 
of  their  friends  and  relatives,  but  stating  that  they  were 
unwilling  to  believe  that  their  American  brethren,  against 
whom  they  had  never  committed  a  hostile  act,  should  inflict 
such  injuries  upon  them.  They  hinted  that  their  only  danger 

9)  Here  Hceke\vekler  adds  in  a  note,  "the  Miami  country."  There  is 
reason  to  believe  that  after  this  chief  led  his  band  from  Tu^caroras,  (the 
upper  forks  of  Muskirignm)  he  emigrated,  perhaps  not  immediately,  to  the 
Miami,  or  Maumee  River,  near  the  junction  of  the  Auglaize. 


350  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

grew  out  of  the  fact  that  war-parties,  like  the  present,  by 
going  or  returning  through  their  villages,  might  draw  an 
enemy  upon  them — otherwise  they  had  no  fears.  As  to  the 
invitation  to  leave  their  settlements,  they  objected  that  they 
were  much  too  heavy  (in  possession  of  too  much  property, 
provisions,  etc.,)  to  think  of  rising  and  going  with  their 
friends  and  relatives. 

Pachgantschihilas,  after  another  consultation  with  his  cap 
tains,  repeated  his  former  warning,  but  disclaimed  any  pur 
pose  of  compelling  the  Moravians  to  leave  their  settlements. 
He  requested,  in  conclusion,  that  any  who  chose  to  avoid 
the  dangers  which  he  anticipated,  might  be  free  to  accept 
his  protection,  to  which  the  missionaries  assured  him  there 
would  be  no  objection.  The  next  day,  the  chief  and  his 
warriors  proceeded  to  Salem,  where  a  feast  had  been  pre 
pared  for  them  under  the  direction  of  Glikhikan,  who  came 
forth  to  greet  and  welcome  his  guests.  The  warriors  ap 
proached  gravely  and  decorously,  without  a  yell  or  shout. 
When  they  arrived  in  the  centre  of  the  village,  opposite  the 
chapel  and  the  residence  of  lleckewelder,  Pachgantschihilas 
ordered  a  halt,  and  publicly  pronounced  a  warm  eulogy  upon 
the  believing  Indians.  He  then  dismissed  them  to  the  enter 
tainment  which  had  been  provided  in  a  grove  of  sugar-maple, 
while  the  chief  himself,  accompanied  by  two  Shawanese  and 
two  Delaware  war-captains,  repaired  to  the  house  of  Hecke- 
welder,  in  whom  he  recognized  the  youthful  pall-bearer  at 
the  funeral  of  his  favorite  wife,  nineteen  years  before,  at 
Tuscaroras.  Here,  where  also  were  assembled  the  national 
assistants  of  the  mission,  he  repeated  his  friendly  assurances, 
and  soon  after  departed  with  his  warriors,  having  first  pro 
claimed  from  the  centre  of  the  street,  in  a  tone  audible  to 
all  the  inhabitants,  that  "  if  at  any  time  they  should  hear  it 


THE   MUSKINGUM   MISSION.  851 

said  that  Pacbgantschihilas  was  an  enemy  to  the  believing 
Indians,  they  should  consider  such  words  as  lies." 

It  was  from  the  English  quarter  that  the  first  serious  inter 
ruption  to  the  peaceful  pursuits  of  the  Moravian  community 
proceeded.  The  tory  leaders  of  the  Ohio  savages,  McKee, 
Elliott  and  Simon  Girty,  were  extremely  hostile,  and  are 
charged  with  having  instigated  several  attempts  to  assassi 
nate  or  seize  the  missionaries.  Baffled  in  these,  by  the 
vigilance  and  devotion  of  the  Christian  Indians,  they  repre 
sented  to  the  British  commandant  at  Detroit,  Col.  Depeyster, 
that  the  missionaries  were  partizans  and  spies  of -Congress, 
and  that  their  influence  was  extremely  prejudicial  to  the 
British  interest.  That  officer  was  induced  to  insist  upon 
their  removal  from  the  vicinity  of  Pittsburgh,  and  early  in 
1781,  his  wishes  were  communicated  to  the  great  council  of 
the  Six  Nations,  assembled  at  Niagara,  by  whom  a  message 
was  sent  to  the  Ottawas  and  Chippewas  to  the  following  effect : 
"  We  herewith  make  you  a  present  of  the  Christian  Indians 
on  the  Muskingum  to  make  broth  of;"  an  expression  well 
understood  to  mean  :  "We  desire  you  to  put  those  people  to 
death."  But  those  two  nations,  being  a  branch  of  the  Del 
aware  stock,  and  ranking  as  their  grandchildren,  replied : 
"We  have  no  cause  for  doing  this."  The  Wyandots,  at 
first,  were  even  more  disinclined  to  assume  the  ungrateful 
task,  because  the  Detroit  division  of  the  tribe  held  the  rela 
tion  of  guardian  or  protector  to  the  Christian  Indians  among 
themselves,  who  were  the  converts  of  Catholic  missionaries, 
and  they  knew  no  sectarian  distinction  between  the  Catholic 
Wyandot  and  the  Protestant  Delaware  or  Mohican,  while 
Pomoacan,  or  the  Half  King,  at  Upper  Sandusky,  had  hith 
erto  avowed  and  conducted  himself  as  a  friend  and  champion 
of  the  Muskingum  mission.  But  Captain  Pipe  and  his  fol- 


352  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

lowers  were  now  the  neighbors  of  Half  King,  at  Upper  San- 
dusky,  and  the  latter  was  persuaded  to  lead  a  body  of  two 
hundred  warriors  against  the  Moravian  towns.  Hecke welder, 
after  the  arrival  of  some  reinforcements,  states  the  whole 
force  at  three  hundred  men,  and  classifies  them  as  "Wyandots 
from  Upper  Sandusky,  commanded  by  Half  King ;  another 
band  of  Wyandots  from  Detroit  and  Lower  Sandusky,  com 
manded  by  Kuhn,  a  head  war-chief  of  the  latter  place ;  a 
party  of  Delawares  from  Upper  Sandusky,  led  by  the  war- 
chiefs  Pipe  and  Wingemund  ;  about  forty  Muncies,  also  from 
Upper  Sandusky  (probably  under  the  apostate  Newalike) ; 
two  Shawanese  captains,  named  by  the  traders  John  and 
Thomas  Snake,  with  a  few  warriors  from  the  Scioto ;  several 
straggling  Indians  of  the  Mohegan  and  Ottawa  tribes,  and 
Elliott,  whose  rank  in  the  British  service  was  Captain,  with 
his  attendant  Michael  Herbert  and  Alexander  McCormick, 
the  bearer  of  a  British  flag,  and  a  small  train  of  unarmed 
Wyandots,  men  and  women,  with  horses,  who  had  come  to 
assist  in  removing  the  booty. 

When  this  formidable  band  approached  Salem,  the  Half 
King  sent  a  message  to  the  Christian  Indians,  desiring  them 
to  fear  nothing,  adding  that  he  came  himself  to  see  that  no 
injury  should  be  done  to  them ;  but  having  good  words  to 
speak,  he  wished  to  know  which  of  their  settlements  would 
be  most  convenient  for  a  meeting.  Now,  as  Gnadenhutten 
was  in  every  respect  the  most  proper  place,  it  was  accor 
dingly  fixed  upon.  The  warriors,  therefore,  pitched  their 
camp,  on  the  llth  of  August,  on  the  west  side  of  Gnaden 
hutten,  and  were  treated  in  the  most  liberal  manner. 

On  the  20th  of  August,  the  Half  King  appointed  a  meet 
ing  of  the  believing  Indians  and  their  teachers,  and  delivered 
the  following  speech  : 


THE   MUSKINGUM   MISSION.  358 

"  Cousins  !  ye  believing  Indians  in  Gnadenhutten,  Schoen- 
brun  and  Salem !  I  am  much  concerned  on  your  account, 
perceiving  that  you  live  in  a  dangerous  spot.  Two  powerful, 
angry  and  merciless  gods  stand  ready,  opening  their  jaws 
wide  against  each  other  ;  you  are  setting  down  between  both, 
and  thus  in  danger  of  being  devoured  and  ground  to  powder 
by  the  teeth  of  either  one  or  the  other,  or  of  both.  It  is, 
therefore,  not  advisable  for  you  to  stay  here  any  longer. 
Consider  your  young  people,  your  wives  and  your  children, 
and  preserve  their  lives,  for  here  they  must  all  perish.  I 
therefore  take  you  by  the  hand,  lift  you  up,  and  place  you 
in  or  near  my  dwelling,  where  you  will  be  safe  and  dwell  in 
peace.  Do  not  stand  looking  at  your  plantations  and  houses, 
but  arise  and  follow  me.  Take  also  your  teachers  with  you, 
and  worship  God  in  the  place  to  which  I  shall  lead  you,  as  you 
have  been  accustomed  to  do.  You  shall  likewise  find  provi 
sions,  and  our  father  beyond  the  lake  (meaning  the  governor 
of  Detroit)  will  care  for  you.  This  is  my  message,  and  I 
am  come  purposely  to  deliver  it." 

He  then  delivered  a  string  of  wampum,  and  the  mission 
aries  and  Indian  assistants  of  the  three  settlements  met  in 
conference  to  consider  this  unexpected  address,  and  on  the 
21st,  the  latter  delivered  the  following  answer  to  the  Half 
King : 

"  Uncle  !  and  ye  captains  of  the  Delawares  and  Muncies, 
our  friends  and  countrymen  !  Ye  Shawanese,  our  nephews, 
and  all  ye  other  people  here  assembled !  We  have  heard 
your  words ;  but  have  not  seen  the  danger  so  great,  that  we 
might  not  stay  here.  We  keep  peace  with  all  men  and  have 
nothing  to  do  with  the  war,  nor  do  we  wish  or  desire  anything 
but  to  be  premitted  to  enjoy  rest  and  peace.  You  see  your 
selves,  that  we  cannot  rise  immediately  and  go  with  you,  for 

T-"  AJ: 
r> 


354  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

we  are  heavy,  and  time  is  required  to  prepare  for  it.  But 
we  will  keep  and  consider  your  words,  and  let  you,  uncle  ! 
know  our  answer  next  winter,  after  the  harvest ;  upon  this 
you  may  rely." 

The  Half  King  certainly,  and  perhaps  Captain  Pipe,  were 
not  disposed  to  press  the  matter  further,  and  in  the  Indian 
.camp  the  current  was  so  strongly  in  favor  of  the  Christian 
Indians,  that  some  were  disposed  to  make  a  shooting  target 
of  the  British  flag,  as  a  retaliation  upon  the  agency  of 
Captain  Elliot.  That  officer,  whose  zeal  for  the  English 
cause  was  stimulated  by  the  prospect  of  pecuniary  advantage 
in  the  sacrifice  of  the  stock  and  other  valuable  property  of 
the  mission,  labored  zealously  to  remove  the  reluctance  of 
Half  King  and  Pipe.  He  represented  to  them  that  the 
English  Governor  at  Detroit  would  be  greatly  dissatisfied,  if 
they  returned  without  the  missionaries.  It  unfortunately 
happened  that  two  Moravian  Indians,  whom  the  missionaries 
had  dispatched  to  Pittsburgh  with  information  of  the  existing 
state  of  things,  were  intercepted  by  the  savages,  and  this 
circumstance  was  exaggerated  by  Elliot  into  a  proof,  not  only 
that  the  missionaries  were  leagued  with  their  enemies,  but  that 
they  were  instigating  a  hostile  expedition  against  the  party 
of  Half  King  and  Pipe.  This  turn  of  affairs  greatly  exas 
perated  those  chiefs.  At  a  second  council,  held  on  the  25th, 
Half  King  had  seemed  to  waver — at  least  he  listened  to  the 
remonstrances  of  Glikhikan  and  his  associates  in  silence — 
but  in  his  altered  humor  he  no  longer  hesitated.  A  third 
council  was  convened  on  the  second  of  September,  before 
which  Zeisberger,  Senseman  and  Heckewelder,  with  some  of 
their  assistants,  were  summoned,  and  Half  King  insisted  upon 
their  giving  an  immediate  answer,  whether  they  would  go 
with  him  or  not,  without  retiring  to  consult  upon  it.  The 


THE   MUSKINGUM    MISSION.  855 

missionaries  appealed  to  their  former  answer — the  assembly 
broke  up  without  debate  and  in  some  confusion,  and  soon 
afterwards  Zcisberger,  Senseman  and  Heckewelder,  were  vio 
lently  seized  and  imprisoned.  They  were  voluntarily  joined 
by  their  associates,  William  Edwards,  who  was  determined 
to  accept  no  exemption  from  their  fate  :  and  during  that  night 
and  the  subsequent  day  their  residences  were  pillaged.  The 
other  missionaries,  Young  and  Youngman,  were  also  impris 
oned,  although  the  latter  was  released  the  next  day.  The 
wives  and  children  of  the  five  missionaries  were  brought  to 
Gnadenhutten  as  captives,  but  were  soon  released,  as  were 
the  missionaries  themselves,  after  five  days  of  close  confine 
ment  and  distressing  anxiety. 

The  life  of  Isaac  Glikhikan  was  endangered  by  the  heroic 
act  of  a  young  Indian  relative,  who  rode  Captain  Pipe's  best 
horse  to  Pittsburgh  with  the  news  of  the  recent  violence.  As 

C 

soon  as  her  departure  was  discovered,  she  was  instantly 
pursued,  but  as  she  could  not  be  overtaken,  the  savages 
were  enraged  in  the  highest  degree,  and  a  party  of  warriors 
immediately  started  to  Salem  and  brought  Isaac  Glikhikan 
bound  to  Gnadenhutten,  singing  a  death  song.  Loskiel  relates 
that  while  the  savages  were  binding  him,  perceiving  that  they 
seemed  much  terrified,  he  encouraged  them,  saying,  "  For 
merly,  when  I  was  ignorant  of  God,  I  should  not  have  suffered 
any  one  of  you  to  touch  me.  But  now,  having  been  converted 
unto  him,  through  mercy,  I  am  willing  to  suffer  all  things  for 
his  sake.  He  no  sooner  arrived  in  the  camp  but  a  general 
uproar  ensued,  the  savages  demanding  that  he  should  be  cut 
in  pieces.  The  Delawares,  who  hated  him  more  particularly 
for  his  conversion,  thirsted  for  his  blood,  but  the  Half  King 
interfering,  would  not  suffer  him  to  be  killed.  However, 
they  examined  him  very  severely,  and  though  his  innocence 


356  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

was  clearly  proved,  they  attacked  him  with  opprobious  lan 
guage.  After  some  hours'  confinement,  he  was  set  at  liberty. 
Although  the  young  woman  reached  Pittsburgh,  the  comman 
dant  there  deemed  it  too  late,  or  otherwise  unadvisable,  to 
attempt  a  forcible  rescue.  It  was  a  prudent  decision,  and 
probably  prevented  a  massacre  of  the  missionaries  and  their 
families. 

On  the  10th,  the  Indians  resumed  their  outrages  to  such 
a  degree,  that  emigration  seemed  the  desirable  alterna 
tive.  It  was  accordingly  proposed  to  the  congregations,  who 
sorrowfully  assented.  "  But  they  never,"  says  Loskiel,  "  for 
sook  any  country  with  more  reluctance.  They  were  now 
obliged  to  forsake  three  beautiful  settlements,  Gnadenhutten, 
Salem  and  Schoenbrun,  and  the  greatest  part  of  their  pos 
sessions  in  them.  They  had  already  lost  above  two  hundred 
head  of  horned  cattle,  and  four  hundred  hogs.  Besides  this, 
they  left  a  great  quantity  of  Indian  corn  in  store,  above  three 
hundred  acres  of  corn  land,  where  the  harvest  was  just 
ripening,  besides  potatoes,  cabbage,  and  other  roots  and  gar 
den  fruits  in  the  ground.  According  to  a  moderate  calcula 
tion,  their  loss  was  computed  at  twelve  thousand  dollars  or 
two  thousand  pounds.  But  what  gave  them  most  pain,  was 
the  total  loss  of  all  books  and  writings,  for  the  instruction  of 
their  youth.  These  were  all  burnt  by  the  savages." 

On  the  third  day  after  their  departure,  they  arrived  at 
Goschocking,  where  a  short  halt  was  made  to  hunt  a  tamed 
buffalo  cow,  which  was  shot  as  it  came  to  the  river  to  drink. 
Here  Elliott  left  for  the  Scioto  to  meet  McKee,  greatly  to 
the  relief  of  the  Moravian  teachers.  They  then  ascended 
the  Walhonding,  partly  by  water  and  partly  along  the  banks 
of  that  stream.  On  the  19th,  two  of  their  best  canoes, 
heavily  laden  with  provisions  were  sunk  in  a  violent  storm 


THE   MUSKINGUM   MISSION.  857 

of  wind  and  rain,  and  the  women  and  children  suffered 
severely  from  exposure.  Half  King  halted  to  give  the 
encampment  an  opportunity  to  dry  their  clothes  and  bag 
gage,  and  hence  dispatched  a  Avar-party  to  the  Ohio. 
"  While  they  were  marching  so  proudly  through  our  camp," 
adds  Heckewelder,  "  they  were  not  aware  of  wrhat  would 
befall  them :  they  were  defeated  with  the  loss  of  some  of  the 
party,  among  whom  were  the  Half  King's  two  sons." 

At  Gockhosink,  or  the  "habitation  of  owls,"  (probably 
Owl  Creek,  now  Vernon  River)  they  left  the  river,  travel 
ing  altogether  by  land,  and  on  the  llth  of  October,  (a  cal 
endar  month  in  making  a  journey  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  miles)  they  arrived  at  the  Sandusky  River. 
Here  the  Half  King  left  them,  and  after  roving  to  and  fro 
for  some  time,  they  "  pitched  upon  the  best  spot  they  could 
find  in  the  dreary  waste,  and  built  small  huts  of  logs  and 
bark,  to  screen  themselves  from  the  cold,  having  neither 
beds  nor  blankets,  and  being  reduced  to  the  greatest  poverty 
and  want.  The  savages  had  by  degrees  stolen  every  thing 
both  from  the  missionaries  and  the  Indians  on  the  journey, 
only  leaving  them  the  needful  utensils  for  making  maple 
sugar."  Loskiel  mentions  as  an  extraordinary  proof  of  the 
general  distress,  that  "  even  the  missionaries,  who  had  hith 
erto  always  lived  upon  their  own  produce,  were  now  obliged 
to  receive  alms,  they  and  their  families  being  supported  by 
contributions  gathered  in  the  congregation."  A  party  was 
sent  back  to  the  Muskingum  to  gather  a  portion  of  the  corn 
yet  standing  in  the  fields;  and  returned  with  about  four 
hundred  bushels.  Six  of  their  number  including  the  mis 
sionary  Shebosch,  were  taken  prisoners  at  Schoenbrun,  and 
carried  to  Pittsburgh,  but  were  released  soon  after  their 
arrival  there. 


358  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

The  month  of  October  had  not  passed,  before  a  message 
was  received  from  the  British  commmandant  at  Detroit, 
requiring  the  missionaries  to  appear  before  him.  On  the 
25th,  Zeisberger,  Heckewelder,  Senseman  and  Edwards, 
with  four  Indian  assistants,  started  upon  the  journey,  and 
after  enduring  the  hardships  and  dangers  of  the  land  route 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Maumee  River,  (called  Tawa  or  Ottawa 
by  Heckewelder,)  arid  thence  along  the  western  shore  of 
Lake  Erie,  they  reached  Detroit  at  the  expiration  of  nine 
days.  In  their  first  interview  with  the  Governor,  Arend 
Schuyler  Depeyster,  he  informed  them  that  the  reason  of 
calling  them  from  their  settlements  on  the  Muskingum,  was 
because  he  had  heard  that  they  carried  on  a  correspondence 
with  the  Americans  to  the  prejudice  of  the  English  interest. 
The  missionaries  justified  themselves  from  such  an  imputa 
tion,  and  a  further  investigation  was  postponed  until  the 
arrival  of  Captain  Pipe.  Fortunately,  that  chief  was  not 
accompanied  by  Elliott  or  Girty,  and  when  he  was  con 
fronted  with  the  missionaries  on  the  9th  of  November,  he 
bore  a  frank  and  honorable  testimony  to  their  impartiality 
and  worth,  and  in  answer  to  a  direct  appeal  by  the  Gover 
nor,  advised  that  they  should  be  allowed  to  return  to  their 
congregations.  "  I  never  witnessed,"  Heckewelder  piously 
observes,  "  a  more  manifest  instance  of  the  powerful  work 
ings  of  conscience  than  during  the  whole  of  this  transaction. 
Of  course,  all  who  were  present,  immediately  acquitted  us 
of  all  the  charges  brought  against  us ;  expressing  their  sin 
cere  regret  that  we  had  innocently  suffered  so  much." 

The  missionaries  were  thenceforth  treated  with  much 
kindness  by  the  commandant,  his  officers,  and  the  inhabi 
tants  of  Detroit,  and  soon  returned  to  Upper  Sandusky. 
Here,  as  the  winter  advanced,  the  unfortunate  Indians  were 


THE   MUSKINGUM   MISSION.  359 

often  on  the  verge  of  starvation;  while  Half  King  and  Pipe, 
instigated  by  Elliott  and  Girty,  resumed  their  persecutions, 
and  demanded  that  the  Governor  of  Detroit  should  remove 
the  teachers  from  Sandusky.  Their  threats  were  too  signifi 
cant  to  be  disregarded,  and  an  order  was  received  on  the 
1st  of  March,  1782,  directing  Girty  and  Half  King  to 
remove  the  missionaries  and  their  families  to  Detroit :  but 
as  they  had  just  arranged  an  expedition  to  the  Ohio,  one 
Francis  Levallie,  a  Canadian  Frenchman,  living  at  Lower 
Sandusky,  was  appointed  to  accompany  them.  This  was  a 
fortunate  exchange,  for  their  conductor  proved  himself  cour 
teous  and  humane,  even  surrendering  his  own  horse  to  the 
missionary  Zeisberger,  who  was  sixty  years  old,  and  insist 
ing  that  respect  for  his  age  and  station  alike  prompted  the 
act.  Levallie,  instead  of  urging  the  party,  among  whom 
were  the  wives  and  children  of  the  missionaries,  through  the 
dreary  wilderness  beyond  Lower  Sandusky,  tarried  at  the 
latter  place  and  sent  a  messenger  to  Detroit  for  further 
instructions,  while,  until  his  return,  two  English  traders, 
Messrs.  Arundel  and  Bobbins,  hospitably  received  the  fugi 
tives  into  their  houses.  In  due  course,  two  vessels  arrived 
from  Detroit,  under  directions  from  the  Governor  to  trans 
port  the  missionaries  and  their  families  by  Sandusky  Bay 
and  Lake  Erie.  They  embarked  on  the  14th  of  April, 
greatly  to  the  chagrin  of  Girty,  who  had  complained  in  the 
most  brutal  manner  of  their  indulgent  treatment,  and  made 
the  voyage  safely  to  Detroit,  where  they  wrere  generously 
received,  and  allowed  their  choice,  either  to  remain  under 
the  protection  of  Col.  Depeyster,  or  be  returned  to  Bethle 
hem.  They  chose  to  remain  in  the  vicinity  of  their  beloved 
Indian  congregation,  although  restrained  from  living  among 
them. 


360  HISTORY    Oi1   OHIO. 

Simultaneously  with  the  removal  of  Zeisberger  and  his 
fellow-teachers  to  Detroit,  a  tragedy  was  enacted  on  the  Mus- 
kingum,  which  fills  the  darkest  page  in  the  border  history  of 
the  American  Revolution.  We  refer  to  the  cruel  and  cow 
ardly  massacre  of  a  party  of  Moravian  Indians,  who  had 
again  repaired  to  their  deserted  cornfields  to  glean  the  scat 
tered  ears  for  the  relief  of  their  suffering  brethren  on  the 
Sandusky  plains.  Unhappily,  while  this  peaceable  party 
were  thus  engaged  on  the  Muskingum,  a  band  of  Indians  from 
Sandusky  had  made  a  descent  upon  the  Pennsylvania  frontier, 
and  murdered  the  family  of  Mr.  William  Wallace,  consisting 
of  his  wife  and  five  or  six  children.  A  man  named  John 
Carpenter  was  taken  prisoner  at  the  same  time.  Enraged  at 
these  outrages,  a  band  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  men,  from 
the  settlements  on  the  Monongahela,  turned  out  in  quest  of 
the  marauders,  under  the  command  of  Col.  David  William 
son.  Each  man  provided  himself  with  arms,  ammunition  and 
provisions,  and  the  greater  number  were  mounted.  They 
struck  immediately  for  the  settlements  of  Salem  and  Gnaden- 
hutten,  arriving  within  a  mile  of  the  latter  place  at  the  close 
of  the  second  day's  march.  Colonel  Gibson,  commanding  at 
Pittsburgh,  having  heard  of  Williamson's  expedition,  dis 
patched  messengers  to  apprise  the  Indians  of  the  circum 
stance,  but  they  arrived  too  late. 

Still,  the  Christian  Indians  were  aware  of  the  approach 
of  Williamson's  band,  but  having  recently  been  accustomed 
to  regard  the  savage  allies  of  the  English  as  the  source  of 
their  injuries,  they  made  no  effort  to  escape,  although  their 
labors  were  accomplished  and  they  were  about  to  retrace 
their  steps  to  Sandusky.  The  bloody  sequel  we  prefer  to  give 
in  the  words  of  Loskiel : 

"  Meanwhile,  the  murderers  marched  first  to  Gnadenhutten, 


THE   MUSKINGUM   MISSION.  361 

where  they  arrived  on  the  6th  of  March.  About  a  mile  from 
the  settlement  they  met  young  Shebosch  in  the  wood,  fired 
at  him,  and  wounded  him  so  much  that  he  could  not  escape. 
He  then,  according  to  the  account  of  the  murderers  them 
selves,  begged  for  his  life,  representing  that  he  was  She 
bosch,  the  son  of  a  white  Christian  man.  But  they  paid  no 
attention  to  his  entreaties,  and  cut  him  in  pieces  with  their 
hatchets.  They  then  approached  the  Indians,  most  of  whom 
were  in  their  plantations,  and  surrounded  them  almost  imper 
ceptibly,  but  feigning  a  friendly  behavior,  told  them  to  go 
home,  promising  to  do  them  no  injury.  They  even  pretended 
to  pity  them  on  account  of  the  mischief  done  to  them  by  the 
English  and  the  savages,  assuring  them  of  the  protection  and 
friendship  of  the  Americans.  The  poor  believing  Indians, 
knowing  nothing  of  the  death  of  young  Shebosch,  believed 
every  word  they  said,  went  home  with  them  and  treated 
them  in  the  most  hospitable  manner.  They  likewise  spoke 
freely  concerning  their  sentiments  as  Christian  Indians,  who 
had  never  taken  the  least  share  in  the  war.  A  small  barrel 
of  wine  being  found  among  their  goods,  they  told  their  per 
secutors,  on  inquiry,  that  it  was  intended  for  the  Lord's 
Supper,  and  that  they  were  going  to  carry  it  to  Sandusky. 
Upon  this,  they  were  informed  that  they  should  not  return 
thither,  but  go  to  Pittsburgh,  where  they  would  be  out  of  the 
way  of  any  assault  made  by  the  English  or  savages.  This 
they  heard  with  resignation,  concluding  that  God  would 
perhaps  choose  this  method  to  put  an  end  to  their  present 
sufferings.  Prepossessed  with  this  idea,  they  cheerfully 
delivered  their  guns,  hatchets  and  other  weapons  to  the  mur 
derers,  who  promised  to  take  good  care  of  them,  and  in 
Pittsburgh  to  return  every  article  to  its  rightful  owner.  The 

Indians  even    showed    them  those  things,  which   they  had 
16 


362  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

secreted  in  the  woods,  assisted  in  packing  them  up,  and 
emptied  all  their  bee-hives  for  their  pretended  friends. 

"In  the  meantime,  the  assistant,  John  Martin,  went  to 
Salem,  and  brought  the  news  of  the  arrival  of  the  white 
people  to  the  believing  Indians,  assuring  them  that  they  need 
not  be  afraid  to  go  with  them,  for  they  were  come  to  carry 
them  to  a  place  of  safety,  and  to  afford  them  protection  and 
support.  The  Salem  Indians  did  not  hesitate  to  accept  of 
this  proposal,  believing  unanimously  that  God  had  sent  the 
Americans  to  release  them  from  their  disagreeable  situation 
at  Sandusky,  and  imagining  that  when  they  had  arrived  at 
Pittsburgh,  they  might  soon  find  a  safe  place  to  build  a  set 
tlement  and  easily  procure  advice  and  assistance  from  Beth 
lehem.  Thus,  John  Martin,  with  two  Salem  brethren,  re 
turned  to  Gnadenhutten,  to  acquaint  both  their  Indian  breth 
ren  and  the  white  people  with  their  resolution.  The  latter 
expressed  a  desire  to  see  Salem,  and  a  party  of  them  was 
conducted  thither  and  received  with  much  friendship.  Here 
they  pretended  to  have  the  same  good  will  and  affection 
towards  the  Indians  as  at  Gnadenhutten,  and  easily  persuaded 
them  to  return  with  them.  By  the  way  they  entered  into 
much  spiritual  conversation  with  the  Indians,  some  of  whom 
spoke  English  well,  giving  these  people,  who  feigned  great 
piety,  proper  and  scriptural  answers  to  many  questions  con 
cerning  religious  subjects.  The  assistants,  Isaac  Glikhikan 
and  Israel,  were  no  less  sincere  and  unreserved  in  their 
answers  to  some  political  questions  started  by  the  white  peo 
ple,  and  thus  the  murderers  obtained  a  full  and  satisfactory 
account  of  the  present  situation  and  sentiments  of  the  Indian 
congregation.  In  the  meantime,  the  defenceless  Indians  at 
Gnadenhntten  were  suddenly  attacked  and  driven  together 
by  the  white  people,  and,  without  resistance,  seized  and  bound. 


THE  MUSKINGUM   MISSION.  368 

The  Salem  Indians  now  met  the  same  fate.  Before  they 
entered  Gnadenhutten,  they  were  at  once  surprised  by  their 
conductors,  robbed  of  their  guns,  and  even  of  their  pocket 
knives,  and  brought  bound  into  the  settlement." 

The  officers,  unwilling  to  take  on  themselves  the  whole 
responsibility  of  a  massacre,  agreed  to  refer  the  question  to 
a  vote  of  the  detachment.  The  men  were  drawn  up  in  a 
line,  and  Williamson  put  the  question,  "  whether  the  Moravian 
Indians  should  be  taken  prisoners  to  Pittsburgh  or  put  to 
death?"  requesting  all  in  favor  of  saving  their  lives  to 
advance  in  front  of  the  line.  On  this,  sixteen,  some  say 
eighteen,  stepped  out  of  the  rank,  and  formed  themselves 
into  the  second  line.  In  this  manner  was  their  fate  decided.10 

"Those  who  were  of  a  different  opinion,"  continues  Los- 
kiel,  "wrung  their  hands,  calling  God  to  witness  that  they 
were  innocent  of  the  blood  of  these  harmless  Christian  Indi 
ans.  But  the  majority  remained  unmoved,  and  only  differed 
concerning  the  mode  of  execution.  Some  were  for  burning 
them  alive,  others  for  taking  their  scalps,  and  the  latter  was 
at  last  agreed  upon ;  upon  which  one  of  the  murderers  was 
sent  to  the  prisoners  to  tell  them  that  as  they  were  Christian 
Indians,  they  might  prepare  themselves  in  a  Christian  man 
ner,  for  they  must  all  die  to-morrow. 

"It  may  easily  be  conceived  how  great  their  terror  was  at 
hearing  a  sentence  so  unexpected.  However,  they  soon  re 
collected  themselves,  and  patiently  suffered  the  murderers  to 
lead  them  into  two  houses,  in  one  of  which  the  brethren,  and 
in  the  other  the  sisters  and  children  were  confined  like  sheep 
ready  for  slaughter.  They  declared  to  the  murderers,  that 
though  they  could  call  God  to  witness  that  they  were  per 
fectly  innocent,  yet  they  were  prepared  and  willing  to  suffer 

10)  Poddridge's  Notes,  251. 


364  HISTORY   OP  OHIO. 

death.  But  as  they  had  at  their  conversion  and  baptism 
made  a  solemn  promise  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  they 
would  live  unto  him  and  endeavor  to  please  him  alone  in  this 
world,  they  knew  that  they  had  been  deficient  in  many  re 
spects,  and  therefore  wished  to  have  some  time  granted  to 
pour  out  their  hearts  before  him  in  prayer,  and  in  exhorting 
each  other  to  remain  faithful  unto  the  end.  One  brother, 
called  Abraham,  who  for  some  time  past  had  been  in  a  luke 
warm  state  of  heart,  seeing  his  end  approaching,  made  the 
following  public  confession  before  his  brethren  : 

"  '  Dear  brethren !  it  seems  as  if  we  should  all  soon  depart 
unto  our  Saviour,  for  our  sentence  is  fixed.  You  know  that  I 
have  been  an  untoward  child,  and  have  grieved  the  Lord  and 
my  brethren  by  my  disobedience,  not  walking  as  I  ought  to 
have  done.  But  yet  I  will  now  cleave  to  my  Saviour  with  my 
last  breath,  and  hold  him  fast,  though  I  am  so  great  a  sinner. 
I  know  assuredly,  that  He  will  forgive  me  all  my  sins  and  not 
cast  me  out.'  The  brethren  assured  him  of  their  love  and 
forgiveness,  and  both  they  and  the  sisters  spent  the  latter 
part  of  the  night  in  singing  praises  to  God  their  Saviour,  in 
the  joyful  hope  that  they  should  soon  be  able  to  praise  him 
without  sin. 

"  When  the  day  of  their  execution  arrived,  namely,  the 
8th  of  March,  two  houses  were  fixed  upon,  one  for  the 
brethren  and  another  for  the  sisters  and  children,  to  which 
the  wanton  murderers  gave  the  name  of  slaughter-houses. 
Some  of  them  went  to  the  brethren  and  showed  great  impa 
tience  that  the  execution  had  not  yet  begun,  to  which  the 
brethren  replied  that  they  were  all  ready  to  die,  having  com 
mended  their  immortal  souls  to  God,  who  had  given  them 
that  divine  assurance  in  their  hearts  that  they  should  come 
unto  him  and  be  with  him  forever. 


THE   MUSKINGUM   MISSION.  365 

"Immediately  after  this  declaration  the  carnage  com 
menced.  The  poor,  innocent  people,  men,  women  and  chil 
dren,  were  led,  bound  two  and  two  together  with  ropes,  into 
the  above  mentioned  slaughter-houses,  and  there  scalped 
and  murdered.11 

"  According  to  the  testimony  of  the  murderers  themselves, 
they  behaved  with  uncommon  patience,  and  went  to  meet 
death  with  cheerful  resignation.  The  above  mentioned  bro 
ther  Abraham  was  the  first  victim.  A  sister  called  Christina, 
who  had  formerly  lived  with  the  sisters  in  Bethlehem,  and 
spoke  English  and  German  well,  fell  on  her  knees  before  the 
captain  of  the  gang,  and  begged  her  life,  but  was  told  that 
he  could  not  help  her. 

"Thus  ninety-six  persons  magnified  the  name  of  the  Lord 
by  patiently  meeting  a  cruel  death.  Sixty-two  were  grown 
persons,  among  whom  were  five  of  the  most  valuable  assis 
tants,  and  thirty-four  children. 

"  Only  two  youths,  each  between  sixteen  and  seventeen 
years  old,  escaped  almost  miraculously  from  the  hands  of  the 
murderers.  One  of  them,  seeing  that  they  were  in  earnest, 

11)  As  to  the  precise  manner  of  this  tragedy,  Heckewelder  differs  from 
Loskiel.  whose  narrative  is  preserved  above.  Heckewelder  does  not  speak 
of  their  removal  from  the  place  of  their  confinement.  His  language  is 
(Narrative,  319):  ':  The  murderers,  impatient  to  make  a  beginning,  came 
again  to  them,  while  they  were  singing,  and  inquiring  whether  they  were 
now  ready  for  dying,  they  were  answered  in  the  affirmative;  adding,  'that 
they  had  commended  their  immortal  souls  to  God,  who  had  given  them  the 
assurance  in  their  hearts  that  he  would  receive  their  souls.'  One  of  the 
party  now  taking  up  a  cooper's  mallet,  which  lay  in  the  house  (the  owner 
being  a  cooper),  saying,  '  How  exactly  this  will  answer  for  the  business,'  he 
began  with  Abraham,  and  continued  knocking  down  one  after  the  other, 
until  he  had  counted  fourteen,  that  he  had  killed  with  his  own  hands.  He 
now  handed  the  instrument  to  one  of  his  fellow-murderers,  saying,  '  My  arm 
now  fails  me ;  go  on  in  the  same  way !  I  think  I  have  done  pretty  well.' 
In  another  house,  where  the  women  and  children  were  confined,  Judith,  a 
remarkably  pious,  aged  widow,  was  the  first  victim,"  &c.,  £c. 


366  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

was  so  fortunate  as  to  disengage  himself  from  his  bonds,  then 
slipping  unobserved  from  the  crowd,  crept  through  a  narrow 
window  into  the  cellar  of  that  house  in  which  the  sisters  were 
executed.  Their  blood  soon  penetrated  through  the  flooring, 
and  according  to  his  account,  ran  in  streams  into  the  cellar, 
by  which  it  appears  probable  that  most,  if  not  all  of  them, 
were  not  merely  scalped,  but  killed  with  hatchets  or  swords. 
The  lad  remained  concealed  until  night,  providentially  no 
one  coming  down  to  search  the  cellar,  when  having,  with 
much  difficulty,  climbed  up  the  wall  to  the  window,  he  crept 
through  and  escaped  into  a  neighboring  thicket.  The  other 
youth's  name  was  Thomas.  The  murderers  struck  him  only 
one  blow  on  the  head,  took  his  scalp,  and  left  him.  But 
after  some  time  he  recovered  his  senses,  arid  saw  himself 
surrounded  by  bleeding  corpses.  Among  these,  he  observed 
one  brother,  called  Abel,  moving  and  endeavoring  to  raise 
himself  up.  But  he  remained  lying  as  still  as  though  he  had 
been  dead,  and  this  caution  proved  the  means  of  his  deliver 
ance  ;  for  soon  after,  one  of  the  murderers  coming  in  and 
observing  Abel's  motions,  killed  him  outright  with  two  or 
three  blows.  Thomas  lay  quiet  until  dark,  though  suffering 
the  most  exquisite  torment.  He  then  ventured  to  creep 
towards  the  door,  and  observing  nobody  in  the  neighborhood, 
got  out  and  escaped  into  the  wood,  where  he  concealed  him 
self  during  the  night.  These  two  youths  met  afterwards  in 
the  wood,  and  God  preserved  them  from  harm  on  their  jour 
ney  to  Sandusky,  though  they  purposely  took  a  long  circuit 
and  suffered  great  hardships  and  danger.  But  before  they 
left  the  neighborhood  of  Gnadenhutten,  they  observed  the 
murderers  from  behind  the  thicket  making  merry  after  their 
successful  enterprise,  and  at  last  setting  fire  to  the  two 
slaughter-houses  filled  with  corpses. 


THE   MUSKINttUM    MISSION.  367 

"  Providentially,  the  believing  Indians  who  were  at  that 
time  in  Schoenbrun  escaped.  The  missionaries  had,  imme 
diately  on  receiving  orders  to  repair  to  Fort  Detroit,  sent  a 
messenger  to  the  Muskingum  to  call  the  Indians  home,  with 
a  view  to  see  them  once  more,  and  to  get  horses  from  them 
for  their  journey.  This  messenger  happened  to  arrive  at 
Schoenbrun  the  day  before  the  murderers  came  to  Gnaden- 
hutten,  and  having  delivered  his  message,  the  Indians  of 
Schoenbrun  sent  another  messenger  to  Gnadenhutten  to 
inform  their  brethren  there,  and  at  Salem,  of  the  message 
received.  But  before  he  reached  Gnadenhutten,  he  found 
young  Shebosch  lying  dead  and  scalped  by  the  way-side, 
and  looking  forward,  saw  many  white  people  in  and  about 
Gnadenhutten.  He  instantly  fled  back  with  great  precipita 
tion,  and  told  the  Indians  in  Schoenbrun  what  he  had  seen, 
who  all  took  flight  and  ran  into  the  woods.  They  now  hesi 
tated  a  long  while,  not  knowing  whither  to  turn  or  how  to 
proceed.  Thus,  when  the  murderers  arrived  at  Schoenbrun, 
the  Indians  were  still  near  the  premises,  observing  every 
thing  that  happened  there,  and  might  easily  have  been  dis 
covered.  But  here  the  murderers  seemed,  as  it  were,  struck 
with  blindness.  Finding  nobody  at  home,  they  destroyed 
and  set  fire  to  the  settlement,  and  having  done  the  same  at 
Gnadenhutten  and  Salem,  they  set  off  with  the  scalps  of  their 
innocent  victims,  about  fifty  horses,  a  number  of  blankets 
and  other  things,  and  marched  to  Pittsburgh,  with  a  view  to 
murder  the  few  Indians  lately  settled  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Ohio,  opposite  to  the  fort.  Some  of  them  fell  a  sacrifice  to  the 
rage  of  this  blood-thirsty  crew,  and  a  few  escaped.  Among 
the  latter  was  Anthony,  a  member  of  the  [Moravian]  con  • 
gregation,  who  happened  then  to  be  at  Pittsburgh,  and  both 


368  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

he  and  the  Indians  of  Schoenbrun  arrived,  after  many  dan 
gers  and  difficulties,  safe  at  Sandusky. 

"The  foregoing  account  of  this  dreadful  event  was  col 
lected  partly  from  what  the  murderers  themselves  related  to 
their  friends  at  Pittsburgh,  partly  from  the  account  given  by 
the  two  youths,  who  escaped  in  the  manner  above  described, 
and  also  from  the  report  made  by  the  Indian  assistant  Sam 
uel  of  Schoenbrun,  and  by  Anthony  from  Pittsburgh,  all  of 
whom  agreed  exactly  as  to  the  principal  parts  of  their  re 
spective  evidences." 

The  Rev.  Joseph  Doddridge,  in  his  Notes  upon  the  Settle 
ment  and  Indian  Wars  of  Western  Virginia  and  Pennsylva 
nia,  published  at  Wheeling,  in  1824,  closes  his  narrative  of 
this  transaction  with  some  observations,  which,  in  justice  to 
Colonel  Williamson  and  his  detachment,  should  accompany 
the  indignant  sketch  of  the  Moravian  historian : 

"The  pressure  of  the  Indian  war  along  the  whole  of  the 
western  frontier,"  Doddridge  remarks,  ufor  several  years 
preceding  the  event  under  consideration,  had  been  dread 
fully  severe.  From  early  in  the  spring,  until  the  commence 
ment  of  winter,  from  day  to  day,  murders  were  committed 
in  every  direction  by  the  Indians.  The  people  lived  in  forts 
which  were  in  the  highest  degree  uncomfortable.  The  men 
were  harrassed  continually  with  the  duties  of  going  on  scouts 
and  campaigns.  There  was  scarcely  a  family  of  the  first 
settlers,  who  did  not,  at  some  time  or  other,  lose  more  or 
less  of  their  number  by  the  merciless  Indians.  Their  cattle 
were  killed,  their  cabins  burned,  and  their  horses  carried  off. 
These  losses  were  severely  felt  by  a  people  so  poor  as  we 
were,  at  that  time.  Thus  circumstanced,  our  people  were 
exasperated  to  madness,  by  the  extent"  and  severity  of  the 
war.  The  unavailing  endeavors  of  the  American  Congress 


THE   MUSKINGUM   MISSION.  369 

to  prevent  the  Indians  from  taking  up  the  hatchet  against 
either  side  in  the  revolutionary  contest,  contributed  much  to 
increase  the  general  indignation  against  them ;  at  the  same 
time  that  those  pacific  endeavors  of  our  government  divided 
the  Indians  amongst  themselves,  on  the  question  of  war  or 
peace  with  the  whites.  The  Moravians,  part  of  the  Dela- 
wares,  and  some  others,  faithfully  endeavored  to  preserve 
peace;  but  in  vain.  The  Indian  maxim  was:  "He  that  is 
not  for  us,  is  against  us.'  Hence  the  Moravian  missionaries 
and  their  followers  were  several  times  on  the  point  of  being 
murdered  by  the  warriors.  This  would  have  been  done, 
had  it  not  been  for  the  prudent  conduct  of  some  of  the  war- 
chiefs. 

"  On  the  other  hand,  the  local  situation  of  the  Moravian 
villages  excited  the  jealousy  of  the  white  people.  If  they 
took  no  direct  agency  in  the  war,  yet  they  were,  as  they 
were  then  called,  '  Half  wray  houses,'  between  us  and  the 
warriors,  at  wrhich  the  latter  could  stop,  rest,  refresh  them 
selves  and  traffic  off  their  plunder.  Whether  these  aids, 
thus  given  to  our  enemies,  were  contrary  to  the  laws  of 
neutrality  between  belligerents,  is  a  question  which  I  wil 
lingly  leave  to  the  decision  of  civilians.  On  the  part  of  the 
Moravians,  they  were  unavoidable.  If  they  did  not  give  or 
sell  provisions  to  the  warriors,  they  would  take  them  by 
force.  The  fault  was  in  their  situation,  not  in  themselves. 

"  The  longer  the  war  continued,  the  more  our  people  com 
plained  of  the  situation  of  these  Moravian  villages.  It  was 
said  that  it  was  owing  to  their  being  so  near  us,  that  the 
warriors  commenced  their  depredations  so  early  in  the 
spring,  and  continued  them  until  late  in  the  fall. 

"  In  the  latter  end  of  the  year  1781,  the  militia  of  the  fron 
tier  came  to  a  determination  to  break  up  the  Moravian  villa- 


370  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

ges  on  the  Muskingum.  For  this  purpose  a  detachment  of 
our  men  went  out  under  the  command  of  Col.  David  Wil 
liamson,  for  the  purpose  of  inducing  the  Indians  with  their 
teachers  to  move  further  off,  or  bring  them  prisoners  to  Fort 
Pitt.  When  they  arrived  at  the  villages  they  found  but  few 
Indians,  the  greater  number  of  them  having  removed  to 
Sandusky.  These  few  were  well  treated,  taken  to  Fort  Pitt 
and  delivered  to  the  commandant  at  that  station,  who,  after 
a  short  detention,  sent  them  home  again. 

"  This  procedure  gave  great  offence  to  the  people  of  the 
country,  who  thought  that  the  Moravians  ought  to  have  been 
killed.  Col.  Williamson,  who,  before  this  little  campaign, 
had  been  a  very  popular  man,  on  account  of  his  activity  and 
bravery  in  war,  now  became  the  subject  of  severe  animad 
versions  on  account  of  his  lenity  to  the  Moravian  Indians. 
Injustice  to  the  memory  of  Col.  Williamson  I  have  to  say, 
that  although  at  that  time  very  young,  I  was  personally 
acquainted  with  him,  and  from  my  recollection  of  his  con 
versation,  I  say  with  confidence  that  he  was  a  brave  man,  but 
not  cruel.  He  would  meet  an  enemy  in  battle,  and  fight 
like  a  soldier  ;  but  not  murder  a  prisoner.  Had  he  possessed 
the  authority  of  a  superior  officer  in  a  regular  army,  I  do  not 
believe  that  a  single  Moravian  Indian  would  have  lost  his 
life  ;  but  he  possessed  no  such  authority.  He  was  only  a 
militia  officer,  who  could  advise,  but  not  command.  His 
only  fault  wTas  that  of  too  easy  a  compliance  with  popular 
opinion  and  popular  prejudice.  On  this  account  his  memory 
has  been  loaded  with  unmerited  reproach. 

"  Several  reports  unfavorable  to  the  Moravians  had  been 
in  circulation  for  some  time  before  the  campaign  against  them. 
One  was,  that  the  night  after  they  were  liberated  at  Fort 
Pitt,  they  crossed  the  river  and  killed  or  made  prisoners  of  a 


THE   MUSKINGUM   MISSION.  371 

family  of  the  name  of  Montour.  A  family  on  Buffalo  creek 
had  been  mostly  killed  in  the  summer  or  fall  of  1781,  and  it 
was  said  by  one  of  them,  who,  after  being  made  prisoner, 
made  his  escape,  that  the  leader  of  the  party  of  Indians 
who  did  the  mischief  was  a  Moravian.  These,  with  other 
reports,  of  similar  import,  served  as  a  pretext  for  their  de 
struction,  although  no  doubt  they  were  utterly  false. 

"  Should  it  be  asked,  what  sort  of  people  composed  the 
band  of  murderers  of  these  unfortunate  people  ? — I  answer, 
they  were  not  miscreants  or  vagabonds :  many  of  them  were 
men  of  the  first  standing  in  the  country.  Many  of  them  were 
men  who  had  recently  lost  relatives  by  the  hand  of  the  sav 
ages-:  several  of  the  latter  class  found  articles  which  had 
been  plundered  from  their  own  houses,  or  those  of  their  rel 
atives,  in  the  houses  of  the  Moravians.  One  man,  it  is  said, 
found  the  clothes  of  his  wife  and  children,  who  had  been 
murdered  by  the  Indians  but  a  few  days  before.  They  were 
still  bloody :  yet  there  was  no  unequivocal  evidence,  that 
these  people  had  any  direct  agency  in  the  war.  Whatever 
of  our  property  was  found  with  them,  had  been  left  by  the 
warriors  in  exchange  for  the  provisions  which  they  took  from 
them.  When  attacked  by  our  people,  although  they  might 
have  defended  themselves,  they  did  not.  They  never  fired 
a  single  shot.  They  were  prisoners,  and  had  been  promised 
protection.  Every  dictate  of  justice  and  humanity  required 
that  their  lives  should  be  spared.  The  complaint  of  their 
villages  being  '  half-way  houses  for  the  warriors,'  was  at  an 
end,  as  they  had  been  removed  to  Sandusky  the  fall  before. 
It  was,  therefore,  an  atrocious  and  unqualified  murder.  But 
by  whom  committed  ?  By  a  majority  of  the  campaign  ?  For 
the  honor  of  my  country,  I  hope  I  may  safely  answer  this 
question  in  the  negative.  It  was  one  of  those  convulsions  of 


372  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

the  moral  state  of  society,  in  which  the  voice  of  the  justice 
and  humanity  of  a  majority  is  silenced  by  the  clamor  and 
violence  of  a  lawless  minority.  Very  few  of  our  men  imbrued 
their  hands  in  the  blood  of  the  Moravians.  Even  those  who 
had  not  voted  for  saving  their  lives,  retired  from  the  scene  of 
slaughter  with  horror  and  disgust.  Why  then  did  they  not 
give  their  votes  in  their  favor  ?  The  fear  of  public  indignation 
restrained  them  from  doing  so.  They  thought  well :  but  had 
not  heroism  enough  to  express  their  opinions.  Those  who  did 
so,  deserve  honorable  mention  for  their  intrepidity.  So  far 
as  it  may  hereafter  be  in  my  power,  this  honor  shall  be  done 
them :  while  the  name  of  the  murderers  shall  not  stain  the 
pages  of  history  from  my  pen  at  least." 

Thus  much  for  the  amiable  Doddridge.  We  leave  his 
plea  for  the  friends  and  neighbors  of  his  childhood  undimin- 
ished,  committing  it  freely  to  the  discrimination  of  the  reader. 
But  there  was  still  another  construction  placed  upon  this 
bloody  deed— that  of  the  savage  fatalists  of  the  woods.  As 
the  sad  tale  passed  from  village  to  village  of  the  Ohio  tribes, 
the  Indians,  particularly  the  scattered  Delawares,  recognized 
with  simple  reverence  a  providential  design.  They  said  they 
had  envied  the  condition  of  their  relations,  the  believing  In 
dians,  and  could  not  bear  to  look  upon  their  peaceful  and 
happy  lives  in  contrast  with  their  own  lives  of  privation  and 
war.  Hence  they  had  endeavored  to  take  them  from  their 
own  tranquil  homes,  and  draw  them  back  into  heathenism, 
that  they  might  be  reduced  again  to  a  level  with  themselves. 
But  the  Great  Spirit  would  not  suffer  it  to  be  so,  and  had 
taken  them  to  himself. 

Soon  after  the  massacre  on  the  Muskingum,  the  congrega 
tion  at  Sandusky,  reduced  in  numbers  and  deprived  of  their 
teachers,  yielded  to  the  solicitations  of  their  Delaware  and 


THE  MUSKINGUM   MISSION.  373 

Shawanese  friends,  and  abandoned  their  settlement  at  San- 
dusky.  They  were  ordered  to  do  so  by  Half  King,  who 
persisted  in  holding  them  in  some  degree  responsible  for  the 
fate  of  his  two  sons ;  but  in  their  present  situations,  it  was 
doubtless  a  prudent  resolution.  Loskiel  informs  us,  that  on 
their  dispersion,  "  one  part  went  into  the  country  of  the 
Shawanese  :  the  rest  stayed  some  time  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Pipestown,  and  then  resolved  to  proceed  farther — to  the 
Miami  River."  Hecke welder  is  more  explicit,  and  mentions 
the  Scioto  and  Miami  of  the  Lake,  now  Maumee,  as  their 
respective  destinations. 

We  have  previously  considered  the  probability,  that  Corn 
stalk  and  the  Shawanese  tribe  on  the  Scioto,  were  disposed 
to  peace,  and  perhaps  to  accept  Christianity,  through  the 
influence  of  the  missionaries.  Indeed,  after  the  death  of 
Cornstalk,  a  tribe  of  Shawanese  removed  to  the  Muskingum 
and  concurred  in  the  pacific  policy  of  the  Delaware  chiefs, 
only  retiring  to  the  Scioto  when  that  policy  was  reversed. 
These  Indians  doubtless  tendered  an  asylum  to  the  Moravi 
ans.  Their  friends  on  the  Maumee  were  the  band  of  Dela- 
wares,  who  were  the  immediate  followers  of  the  magnanimous 
Pachgantschihilas,  whose  friendly  solicitude  and  timely  warn 
ing  to  the  missionaries  had  been  so  fully  justified  by  recent 
events  as  to  seem  almost  prophetic.  There  is  ample  evidence 
that  in  1791,  nine  years  afterwards,  Delawares  inhabited  the 
banks  of  the  Auglaize  River  near  its  junction  with  the  Mau- 
mce  ;  and  here,  while  the  heathen,  aboriginal  and  European, 
raged  around  them,  the  simple-hearted  proselytes  of  a  religion 
of  peace,  found  a  refuge  from  the  persecutions  of  those  pro 
fessing  the  same  benignant  faith. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

PENNSYLVANIA  CAMPAIGNS  AGAINST  THE  OHIO  INDIANS. 

THE  border  war  of  the  Revolution  upon  the  Ohio,  consisted 
of  two  series  of  expeditions  in  retaliation  for  Indian  outrage 
— those  already  considered,  which  issued  from  the  region  of 
Kentucky  traversed  by  the  Kenhawa,  the  Licking  and  the 
Kentucky  Rivers,  usually  led  by  George  Rogers  Clark,  and 
designed  to  restrain  the  inveterate  Shawanese,  and  those 
wrhich  had  Wheeling  and  the  vicinity  of  Pittsburgh  for  their 
base  of  operations,  and  aimed  to  chastise  the  bands  of  Wy- 
andots,  Ottawas,  Mingoes,  and  finally  the  Delawares,  whose 
villages  were  scattered  upon  the  sources  of  the  Muskinguni 
and  Sandusky  Rivers  and  along  the  Lake  shore.  The  latter 
may  be  called  the  Pennsylvania  Campaigns,  from  the  fact 
that  the  western  counties  of  Pennsylvania  furnished  the  vol 
unteer  militia,  which  composed  the  main  force  of  these  expe 
ditions. 

To  the  Coshocton  campaign  of  Col.  Daniel  Brodhead,  inci 
dental  allusion  has  already  been  made.  In  the  correspon 
dence  of  that  officer  recently  published,1  he  says,  under  date 
of  March  27,  1781,  that  he  had  called  upon  the  County 
Lieutenants  for  a  few  of  the  militia,  and  intended  to  surprise 
the  Indian  towns  about  Coochocking — written  Goschocking 
by  Heckewelder,  and  now  familiar  as  Coshocton.  Soon 
afterwards,  probably  before  the  close  of  April,  these  levies 

1)  Craig's  Olden  Time,  vol.  ii,  p.  392. 


COSHOCTON    CAMPAIGN.  375 

assembled  at  Wheeling,  and  their  number,  including  a  few 
continental  troops  from  Pittsburgh,  are  estimated  by  Dod 
dridge2  at  eight  hundred  men.  In  justice  to  those  upon 
whom  was  imposed  the.  responsibility  of  command,  it  should 
be  borne  in  mind  that  the  army  was  mostly  composed  of  the 
tumultuous  and  intractable  population  of  the  frontiers. 

When  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Moravian  towns,  it  has  been 
mentioned,  that  Col.  Brodhead  and  Col.  Shepherd  of  Wheel 
ing  could  with  difficulty  restrain  a  foray  of  the  militia  upon 
the  peaceful  inhabitants.  The  remaining  details  of  the 
expedition  rest  upon  the  authority  ,of  Doddridge. 

At  White  Eyes  Plain,  a  few  miles  from  Coshocton,  an 
Indian  prisoner  was  taken.  Soon  afterwards  two  more  Indi 
ans  were  discovered,  one  of  whom  was  wounded,  but  he  as 
well  as  the  other  made  his  escape. 

The  commander  knowing  that  these  two  Indians  would 
make  the  utmost  despatch  in  going  to  the  town,  to  give 
notice  of  the  approach  of  the  army,  ordered  a  rapid  march, 
in  the  midst  of  a  heavy  rain,  to  reach  the  town  before  them 
and  take  it  by  surprise.  The  plan  succeeded.  The  army 
reached  the  place  in  three  divisions.  The  right  and  left 
wings  approached  the  river  a  little  above  and  below  the 
town,  while  the  center  marched  directly  upon  it.  The 
whole  number  of  the  Indians  in  the  village,  on  the  east  side 
of  the  river,  together  with  ten  or  twelve  from  a  little  village 

2)  Rev.  Joseph  Doddridge,  M.  D.  Frequent  allusion  has  already  been 
made  to  this  narrator  of  frontier  manners  and  incidents.  In  the  infancy 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  of  Ohio,  his  services  as  a  minister  of 
the  Gospel  were  cheerfully  given  to  the  settlements  opposite  Wheeling ; 
but  in  1820,  he  announces  an  intention  of  resuming  the  medical  profession, 
as  the  means  of  acquiring  a  competency  for  his  approaching  age.  See  a 
ttepublication.  of  the  Journals  of  Episcopal  Conventions  in  Ohio,  from  1818 
to  1827.  edited  by  Rev.  W.  C.  French,  1853.  The  citations  of  the  text  are 
from  Doddridge's  Xotes  of  Wc-torn  Virginia. 


376  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

some  distance  above,  were  made  prisoners,  without  firing  a 
single  shot.  The  river  having  risen  to  a  great  height,  owing 
to  the  recent  fall  of  rain,  the  army  could  not  cross  it,  and 
the  villages  with  their  inhabitants  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river  escaped  destruction. 

Among  the  prisoners,  sixteen  warriors  were  pointed  out 
by  Pekillon,  a  friendly  Delaware  chief,  as  engaged  in  a 
recent  excursion  upon  the  frontiers  of  Virginia,  during 
which  all  the  male  captives  had  been  put  to  death  by  torture 
in  the  presence  of  their  weeping  families.  A  council  of  war 
was  held  in  the  evening  to  determine  the  fate  of  the  warriors 
in  custody.  They  were  doomed  to  death,  and  by  the  order 
of  the  commander,  they  were  bound,  taken  a  little  distance 
below  the  town,  despatched  with  tomahawks  and  spears,  and 
scalped. 

Early  the  next  morning,  an  Indian  presented  himself  on  the 
opposite  bank  of  the  river  and  asked  for  the  "Big  Captain." 
Brodhead  came  forward  and  inquired  what  he  wanted?  to 
which  he  replied,  " I  want  peace."  "Send  over  some  of 
your  chiefs,"  said  the  Colonel.  "May  be  you  kill,"  said 
the  Indian.  "  They  shall  not  be  killed,"  was  the  answer. 
A  fine  looking  sachem  thereupon  crossed  the  river,  and 
entered  into  conversation  with  the  commander  in  the  street, 
but  while  thus  engaged,  a  man  of  the  name  of  Wetzel3  came 
up  behind  him,  with  a  tomahawk  concealed  in  the  bosom  of 
his  hunting  shirt,  and  struck  him  on  the  back  of  his  head. 
He  fell  and  instantly  expired. 

On  the  retreat  from  Coshocton,  Col.  Brodhead  committed 
the  care  of  the  prisoners,  about  twenty  in  number,  to  the 
militia.  After  marching  half  a  mile,  the  men  commenced 

3)  Lewis  Wetzel,  a  noted  borderer.    See  Appendix  No.  IX,  for  a  biograph 
ical  notice  of  this  type  of  a  numerous  class. 


3T7 

killing  them,  and  soon,  all  except  a  few  women  and  children 
were  despatched  in  cold  blood. 

The  reduction  of  Detroit,  for  which  Congress  had  collected 
troops  and  munitions  in  1778,  with  no  other  result  than  the 
useless  fortifications  of  Laurens  and  Mclntosh,  was  again 
proposed  in  1780-1.  Thomas  Jefferson,  then  Governor  of 
Virginia,  authorized  Gen.  George  Rogers  Clark  to  raise  a 
force  adequate  to  march  from  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio  through 
the  valleys  of  the  Wabash  and  the  Maumee  to  Detroit. 
The  expedition  was  approved  by  Washington,  who  wrote  to 
Col.  Brodhead,  the  commandant  at  Pittsburgh,  to  send  a 
detachment  with  four  field  pieces  and  one  eight  inch  howit 
zer,  besides  other  stores.  Accordingly,  Captain  Isaac  Craig 
descended  the  Ohio  with  two  companies  of  artillery  to  the 
place  of  rendezvous,  but  Gen.  Clark  was  obliged  to  relin 
quish  the  expedition — his  whole  force,  although  nearly  a 
year  had  passed  in  exertions  to  recruit  it,  not  exceeding 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  men.  Captain  Craig  returned  to 
Pittsburgh  on  the  26th  of  December,  1781,  having  been 
forty  days  on  the  voyage  from  the  falls.  He  was  obliged 
to  throw  away  his  gun-carriages,  but  brought  back  the 
pieces  themselves,  and  the  best  of  the  stores. 

The  most  melancholy  incident  in  connection  with  Clark's 
projected  expedition  against  Detroit,  was  the  massacre  of  a 
party  of  Pennsylvania  volunteers.  In  a  letter  from  General 
William  Irvine,  who  assumed  the  command  at  Pittsburgh,  in 
the  fall  of  1781,  addressed  to  General  Washington,  and 
dated  in  December  of  that  year,  the  aifair  is  thus  noticed : 
"  A  Col.  Lochry,  of  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
with  about  one  hundred  men  in  all,  composed  of  volunteers 
and  a  company  raised  by  Pennsylvania,  for  the  defence  of 

that  county,  started  to  join  General  Clark,  who,  it  is  said, 
16* 


378  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

ordered  him  to  unite  with  him  (Clark)  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Miami,  up  which  river  it  was  previously  designed  to  proceed ; 
but  the  General  having  changed  his  plan,  left  a  small  party 
at  the  Miami,  with  directions  to  Lochry  to  follow  him  to  the 
mouth  of  the  falls.  Sundry  accounts  agree  that  this  party, 
and  all  of  Lochry 's  troops,  to  a  man,  were  waylaid  by  the 
Indians  and  British,  (for  it  is  said  they  had  artillery)  and  all 
killed  or  taken,  not  a  man  escaping,  either  to  join  General 
Clark  or  to  return  home."  In  a  journal  kept  by  General 
Richard  Butler,  while  attending  a  conference  with  the  Ohio 
Indians  at  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Miami,  in  the  winter  of 
1785—6,  he  designates  Lochry's  creek,  about  seven  miles 
south  of  the  Great  Miami,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Ohio,  as 
the  scene  of  this  tragedy.  "Col.  Lochry,"  he  says,  "and 
his  party  were  defeated  and  cut  to  pieces  by  Brant  and  his 
people,  who  perfectly  surprised  Lochry."  It  is  singular  that 
our  historical  compilations  contain  so  slight  a  reference  to  a 
battle  which  resulted  in  the  destruction  of  more  than  a  hun 
dred  whites,  especially  as,  in  the  language  of  Gen.  Irvine, 
"  Lochry's  party  were  the  best  men  of  the  frontier."  In 
the  disastrous  battle  of  Blue  Licks,  the  Kentucky  loss  was 
but  seventy-six,  although  on  that  occasion  there  were  many 
survivors,  to  report  as  well  as  to  revenge  the  horrors  of  the 
day.  But  at  Lochry's  creek  a  hecatomb  of  brave  spirits 
died  and  gave  no  sign.4 

In  the  spring  of  1782,  occurred  the  Moravian  campaign, 
already  noticed  in  the  narrative  of  the  mission  on  the  Mus- 
kingum. 

It  was  immediately  followed  by  active  preparations  for  a 

4)  Craig's  Olden  Time,  vol.  ii.,  541.  Gen.  Butler  was  doubtless  mistaken, 
if  he  supposed  that  the  leader  of  the  Indians  engaged  in  the  slaughter  of 
Lochry's  party,  was  the  Mohawk  chieftain,  Joseph  Brant. 


379 

volunteer  expedition  against  the  new  settlement  of  the  Chris 
tian  Indians  and  the  Wyandot  and  Delaware  towns,  on  the 
head  waters  of  the  Sandusky.  The  enterprise  was  con 
ducted  with  secrecy  and  dispatch  ;  the  men  were  all  mounted, 
and  furnished  themselves  with  all  their  outfits,  except  some 
ammunition  which  was  supplied  by  the  Lieutenant  Colonel 
of  Washington  county. 

On  the  20th  of  May,  1782,  the  volunteers  assembled  at 
the  deserted  Mingo  village,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Ohio, 
seventy-five  miles  below  Pittsburgh.  No  estimate  of  their 
number  is  less  than  four  hundred  and  fifty.  Here,  Colonel 
William  Crawford,  the  agent  and  friend  of  Washington,  was 
elected  to  the  command.  Col.  David  Williamson  was  an 
unsuccessful  candidate  for  the  post,  and  accompanied  the 
expedition. 

On  Saturday,  the  25th  of  May,  the  army  commenced  its 
march,  and  on  the  fourth  day  reached  Shoenbrun,  on  the 
Muskingum,  finding  sufficient  corn  in  the  adjacent  fields  for 
a  night's  forage  of  their  horses.  On  the  morning  of  the  30th, 
Major  Brunton  and  Capt.  Bean,  being  a  few  hundred  yards 
in  advance  of  the  troops,  observed  two  Indians  skulking 
through  the  woods,  apparently  observing  the  movements  of 
the  detachment.  Although  fired  upon,  they  escaped.  From 
the  excitement  and  confusion  of  his  troops  on  this  slight 
occasion,  Crawford  was  held  to  apprehend  the  worst  conse 
quences  from  their  want  of  discipline. 

It  had  been  supposed  that  the  expedition  would  surprise 
the  Indians,  but  the  spies  of  the  latter  had  hovered  near  the 
army  during  the  whole  route,  visiting  each  encampment  the 
day  after  it  was  abandoned,  and  transcribing  from  the  trees 
where  some  loungers  had  carved  the  words,  that  "  No  quarter 
was  to  be  given  to  any  Indian,  whether  man,  woman  or  child.'* 


380  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

The  savages  were  alert  and  ready  to  repel  the  invaders,  who 
now  pressed  rapidly  forward. 

"  Nothing  material  happened,"  says  Doddridge,  "  until  the 
sixth  day,  when  their  guides  conducted  them  to  the  site  of 
the  Moravian  village,  on  one  of  the  upper  branches  of  the 
Sandusky  river,  but  here,  instead  of  meeting  with  Indians 
and  plunder,  they  found  nothing  but  vestiges  of  desolation. 
The  place  was  covered  with  high  grass,  and  the  remains  of  a 
few  huts  alone  announced  that  the  place  had  been  the  resi 
dence  of  the  people  whom  they  intended  to  destroy."  The 
removal  of  the  missionaries  to  Detroit,  and  the  dispersion  of 
the  congregation  a  few  weeks  before,  thus  proved  a  provi 
dential  interposition  in  their  behalf. 

The  accounts  of  what  followed  are  very  conflicting.  The 
men  here  insisted  upon  returning,  as  their  horses  were  jaded 
and  the  stock  of  provisions  nearly  exhausted.  The  officers 
held  a  council  and  determined  to  march  one  day  longer,  and 
if  they  should  not  meet  the  enemy  in  the  course  of  the  day, 
to  retreat.  Doddridge  states  that  the  army  commenced  their 
march  next  morning,  which  was  continued  until  two  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  when  the  advance  guard  was  attacked  and 
driven  in  by  the  Indians,  who  were  discovered  in  large  num 
bers  in  the  high  grass  with  which  the  plain  was  covered. 
Another  version  is,5  that  on  the  eleventh  day  of  the  march, 
"  the  army  reached  the  spot  where  the  town  of  Sandusky  had 
formerly  stood,  but  from  which  the  Indians  had  lately  removed 
to  a  spot  about  eighteen  miles  below" — that  here  a  council 
was  held  with  the  result  already  mentioned ;  and  that  "  just 
as  the  council  broke  up,"  one  of  the  advance  guards  arrived 
with  the  intelligence  that  the  Indians  had  appeared  in  force 
"  a  few  miles  in  advance."  If  the  army,  all  of  whom  were 

f>)  McClung's  Western  Adventure,  120. 


CRAWFORD'S  CAMPAIGN.  881 

mounted,  had  advanced  beyond  the  Moravian  town  from  sun 
rise  on  a  June  day,  until  two  hours  after  noon,  the  distance 
to  the  place  where  the  Indians  were  discovered  would  have 
been  more  than  a  "few  miles." 

The  traditions  of  Wyandot  county  represent  the  scene  of 
the  engagement  which  ensued  as  three  miles  north  of  the 
Upper  Sandusky  of  a  modern  map,  and  one  mile  west  of  the 
Sandusky  River.  A  spot  near  Leesville  or  Leesburg  in 
Crawford  county,  is  called  "  the  battle  ground,"  from  a 
tradition  that  there,  Crawford,  on  his  way  to  Upper  Sandusky, 
had  a  skirmish  with  the  Indians.  If  the  route  of  his  march 
was  so  far  north  as  Leesville,  and  we  admit  the  statement  of 
a  six  hours'  progress  between  the  Moravian  towns  and  the 
battle  field,  it  becomes  probable  that  the  temporary  settlement 
of  the  Christian  Indians  was  in  the  vicinity  of  Bucyrus, 
whence  a  westward  march  of  six  hours  before  meeting  the 
enemy,  might  have  occurred. 

The  discrepancy  is  not  merely  whether  the  alarm  of  an 
enemy  in  advance,  was  communicated  to  the  army  "just  as 
the  council  broke  up"  or  after  a  six  hours'  further  march; 
but  it  includes  a  contradiction  as  to  the  locality  of  the  Mora 
vian  settlement  on  the  Sandusky.  McClung  makes  it  within 
a  short  distance  of  the  Indian  ambuscade — Doddridge,  a  full 
half  day's  journey  by  a  mounted  body  of  men.  McClung's 
Narrative  is  consistent  with  the  opinion  that  the  council  was 
held  at  the  old  Indian  town  of  Upper  Sandusky,  which  would 
also  be  the  site  of  the  Moravian  settlement,  and  stood  on  the 
bank  of  the  Sandusky  River,  four  miles  north-east  of  the 
present  town  of  Upper  Sandusky.  Heckewelder's  Narrative 
describes  the  destination  of  the  captive  congregation  in  a 
manner  favorable  to  this  view  of  the  case.  "  On  the  llth 
of  October"  (1781,)  he  says  "  they  arrived  at  the  old  Up 


382  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

per  Sandusky  town,  which  is  on  the  east  branch  of  the  river  of 
that  name,  where  the  Half  King  and  his  party  left  them  arid 
proceeded  nine  or  ten  miles  further  to  their  homes."  Ilecke- 
welder  also  mentions  that  Pipestown  was  ten  miles  distant.6 

All  the  accounts  unite  that  there  were  two  Wyandot  villa 
ges  (of  which  one,  Upper  Sandusky  Old  Town,  was  probably 
deserted  at  this  time)  and  one  Delaware  village,  the  residence 
of  Captain  Pipe.  The  latter  was  situated  on  the  Tymochtee, 
about  eight  miles  above  its  junction  with  the  Sandusky,  and 
we  assume  that  New  Wyandot  Town,  probably  the  residence 
of  Half  King,  was  at  Big  Spring,  now  Springville  in  Seneca 
county.  These  localities  are  ascertained  with  a  fair  degree 
of  certainty,  and  rest  upon  the  authority  of  Col.  John  John 
ston,  and  Joseph  McCutchen  Esq.,  of  Wyandot  county.  The 
only  doubt  is  raised  by  Doddridge's  Narrative,  whether  Old 
Town  of  Upper  Sandusky  was  the  Moravian  village.  We 
incline  to  the  affirmative  belief,  and  that  the  council  of  war 
was  held  within  a  short  distance  of  the  battle  field. 

With  these  explanations,  we  resume  the  narrative  of  the 
battle  of  Sandusky  Plains. 

The  main  body  of  the  Indians  had  stationed  themselves  in 
a  grove  of  trees.  Crawford  immediately  ordered  his  men  to 
dismount,  tie  their  horses,  and  force  the  enemy  from  this 
position,  which  was  done.  The  Indians  continued  their  fire 
from  the  high  grass  of  the  prairie.  Doddridge  relates  that 
the  savages  attempted  to  gain  a  small  skirt  of  wood  on  Craw 
ford's  right  flank,  but  were  prevented  by  the  vigilance  and 
bravery  of  Major  Leet,  who  commanded  the  right  wing ; 
while  McClung's  statement  is,  that  Crawford  was  outflanked 
and  exposed,  except  as  the  wood  was  a  partial  shelter,  to  a 
severe  fire  on  every  side.  From  four  o'clock  until  dark,  the 

6)  Heckewelder's  Narrative  of  Indian  Missions,  281,  285. 


CRAWFORD'S  DEFEAT. 

contest  was  very  animated.  Doddridge  admits  only  "  three 
killed  and  several  wounded"  on  the  American  side,  which 
was  certainly  an  inconsiderable  loss  in  so  close  an  engage 
ment.  At  night,  the  enemy  drew  off,  and  Crawford's  party 
slept  on  their  arms  upon  the  field  of  battle. 

On  the  next  day,  the  Indians  did  not  resume  the  attack, 
as  they  were  awaiting  reinforcements,  but  were  seen  in  large 
bodies  traversing  the  plains  in  every  direction.  Some  of 
them  appeared  to  be  employed  in  carrying  off  their  dead  and 
wounded. 

As  soon  as  it  was  dark,  the  field  officers  assembled  in 
council ;  and,  as  the  numbers  of  the  enemy  were  evidently 
increasing  every  moment,  it  was  unanimously  determined  to 
retreat  by  night,  as  rapidly  as  was  consistent  with  order  and 
the  preservation  of  the  wounded.  The  resolution  was  quickly 
announced  to  the  troops,  and  the  necessary  dispositions  made 
for  carrying  it  into  effect.  The  outposts  were  silently  with 
drawn  from  the  vicinity  of  the  enemy,  and  as  fast  as  they 
came  in  the  troops  were  formed  in  three  parallel  lines,  with 
the  wounded  borne  upon  biers  in  the  centre.  By  nine 
o'clock  at  night,  all  necessary  arrangements  had  been  made, 
and  the  retreat  began  in  good  order. 

Unfortunately,  they  had  scarcely  moved  a  hundred  paces, 
when  the  report  of  several  rifles  was  heard  in  the  rear,  in  the 
direction  of  the  Indian  encampment.  The  troops  soon  be 
came  unsteady.  At  length  a  solitary  voice,  in  the  front  rank, 
called  out,  that  their  design  was  discovered,  and  that  the 
Indians  wrould  soon  be  upon  them.  A  panic,  accompanied 
by  an  immense  uproar,  ensued — the  wounded  were  aband 
oned  to  the  mercy  of  the  enemy — straggling  parties  wander 
ed  away  from  the  main  body,  under  the  delusive  expectation 
of  more  safety  by  so  doing :  and  of  the  whole  number, 


384  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

scarcely  three  hundred  reached  the  settlements.  The  Indi 
ans  soon  ceased  their  attacks  upon  the  main  body,  but  pur 
sued  the  small  parties  with  such  activity  that  few  of  them 
escaped. 

Dr.  Knight,  the  surgeon  of  the  detachment,  was  in  the 
rear  when  the  flight  commenced,  and  hurried  forward.  He 
had  not  advanced  more  than  three  hundred  yards,  when  he 
heard  the  voice  of  Colonel  Crawford,  a  short  distance  in  front, 
calling  aloud  for  his  son,  John  Crawford,  his  son-in-law, 
Major  Harrison,  and  his  two  nephews,  Major  Rose  and  Will 
iam  Crawford.  Dr.  Knight  joined  him,  and  they  tarried 
until  the  last  straggler  had  passed,  without  meeting  or  hear 
ing  of  the  young  men.  Presently  a  heavy  fire  was  heard  at 
the  distance  of  a  mile  in  front,  accompanied  by  yells,  screams, 
and  other  indications  of  a  fierce  attack.  Crawford  had  lost 
all  confidence  in  his  men,  and  not  choosing  to  unite  his 
fortune  with  them,  he  changed  his  course  to  the  northward 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  leave  the  combatants  on  the  right. 
Dr.  Knight,  and  two  others,  accompanied  him.  They  con 
tinued  in  this  direction  for  nearly  an  hour,  until  they  sup 
posed  themselves  out  of  the  line  of  the  enemy's  operations, 
when  their  course  was  turned  eastward.  They  were  guided 
by  the  north  star,  soon  crossed  the  Sandusky,  and  pressed 
forward  until  daybreak,  when  their  horses  failed,  and  were 
abandoned. 

Continuing  their  journey  on  foot,  they  soon  fell  in  with 
Captain  Biggs,  who  had  generously  surrendered  his  horse  to 
a  wounded  officer,  Lieutenant  Ashley,  and  was  composedly 
walking  by  his  side,  with  a  rifle  in  his  hand  and  a  knapsack 
on  his  shoulders.  This  casual  meeting  was  grateful  to  both 
parties,  and  they  continued  their  journey  with  renewed  spir 
its.  At  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  a  heavy  rain  fell  and 


CAPTURE    OF    CRAWFORD.  385 

compelled  them  to  encamp.  A  temporary  shelter  was  formed 
by  barking  several  trees,  after  the  manner  of  the  Indians, 
and  spreading  the  bark  over  poles.  Here  they  passed  the 
night. 

Resuming  their  route  next  morning,  they  were  so  fortunate 
as  to  find  the  carcass  of  a  deer,  neatly  sliced  and  bundled  in 
the  skin,  and  a  mile  farther  fell  in  with  a  white  man,  who 
had  kindled  a  fire.  They  breakfasted  heartily  after  the  fa 
tigues  and  abstinence  of  thirty-six  hours,  and  continued  their 
march.  By  noon,  they  had  reached  the  path  by  which  the 
army  had  marched  a  few  days  before,  in  their  advance  upon 
the  Indian  towns,  and  some  discussion  took  place  as  to  the 
propriety  of  taking  that  road  homeward.  Biggs  and  Knight 
strenuously  insisted  upon  continuing  their  course  through  the 
woods,  and  avoiding  all  paths,  but  Crawford  overruled  them, 
representing  that  the  Indians  would  not  urge  the  pursuit 
beyond  the  plains,  which  were  already  far  behind.  Unfor 
tunately  the  colonel  prevailed,  and  abandoning  their  due 
eastern  course,  the  party  pursued  the  beaten  path.  They 
had  not  advanced  a  mile,  when  a  party  of  Delaware  Indians 
sprang  up  within  twenty  yards  of  Crawford  and  Knight,  who 
were  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  in  front  of  their  comrades, 
presented  their  guns,  and  ordered  the  fugitives  in  good  Eng 
lish  to  stop.  Crawford  and  Knight  surrendered  themselves 
prisoners,  but  the  rest  of  the  party  made  their  escape,  al 
though  Captain  Biggs  and  Lieutenant  Ashley  were  overtaken 
and  killed  the  next  day. 

Col.  Crawford  and  Doctor  Knight  were  immediately  taken 
to  an  Indian  encampment,  at  a  short  distance  from  the  place 
where  they  were  captured.  Here  they  found  nine  other 
prisoners,  and  passed  the  following  day.  The  next  morning, 
Monday,  June  10,  they  were  paraded  (and  our  quotations 
17 


HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

in  this  connection  are  from  Dr.  Knight's  own  narrative)  "  to 
march  to  Sandusky,  about  thirty-three  miles  distant ;"  but 
"  Col.  Crawford  was  very  desirous  to  see  Simon  Girty,  who 
lived  with  the  Indians,  and  was  on  this  account  permitted  to 
go  to  town  the  same  night,  with  two  warriors  to  guard  him." 
The  other  prisoners  "  were  taken  as  far  as  the  old  town, 
which  was  within  eight  miles  of  the  new." 

Crawford  had  known  Girty,  before  the  latter's  adherence 
to  the  British,  and  hoped  to  make  some  arrangements  for  his 
ransom  from  captivity  and  torture.  Girty  promised  to  do 
every  thing  in  his  power  to  save  Crawford,  and  it  is  probable 
that  the  former  made  a  proposition  to  Captain  Pipe,  offering 
three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  for  the  release  of  the  Ameri 
can  commandant,  intending,  unquestionably,  to  exact  a  much 
larger  amount  from  Crawford.  The  Delaware  chief  treated 
the  proposition  as  a  gross  insult,  and  threatened  Girty  him 
self  with  torture  at  the  stake,  if  it  was  renewed.  This  threat 
had  such  an  effect,  that  Girty  appeared  subsequently  at  the 
execution  of  Crawford,  an  acquiescent,  perhaps  an  exultant 
spectator. 

On  the  morning  of  June  llth,  Crawford  returned  to  his 
companions  in  misfortune  at  the  Old  Town,  but  Captain  Pipe 
had  preceded  him  and  painted  the  faces  of  Dr.  Knight  and  the 
other  nine  prisoners  black.  Upon  Crawford's  arrival,  Pipe 
painted  him  also,  but  without  any  ferocity  of  language  or 
manner.  On  the  contrary,  he  dissembled  so  far  as  to  assure 
Crawford  that  he  would  be  adopted  at  the  Wyandot  village. 
When  the  Indians  marched,  Col.  Crawford  and  Dr.  Knight 
were  kept  back  between  Pipe  and  Wingemand,  the  two  Del 
aware  chiefs,  while  the  other  nine  persons  were  sent  forward. 
As  they  proceeded  towards  the  Tymochtee,  Crawford  and 
his  friend  wrere  shocked  to  see  the  bodies  of  four  of  the  pris 


ESCAPE    OF    KNIGHT   AND    SLOVER.  387 

oners  scattered  along  the  path,  and  were  themselves  witnesses 
of  the  slaughter  of  the  remaining  five  by  a  crowd  of  squaws 
and  boys.  Among  them  was  one  John  McKinley,  formerly 
an  officer  in  a  Virginia  regiment,  whose  head  was  severed 
from  his  body  by  an  old  hag,  and  kicked  about  among  the 
savages.  Half  a  mile  further,  they  reached  the  spot  selected 
for  Crawford's  execution,  which  was  attended  with  all  the 
horrors  of  savage  cruelty.  Three  hours  of  torture,  during 
which  he  entreated  Girty  in  vain  for  the  mercy  of  a  bullet 
through  his  heart,  elapsed  before  the  unfortunate  victim  was 
released  from  his  unutterable  anguish. 

His  companion  and  friend,  Dr.  Knight,  was  compelled  to 
witness  the  horrible  spectacle,  and  was  taunted  by  Girty  with 
the  certainty  of  a  similar  fate  when  he  should  reach  the 
Shawanese  villages  on  the  Mad  River,  whither,  on  the  next 
morning,  (after  passing  the  night  at  the  house  of  Captain 
Pipe,  three  quarters  of  a  mile  north  of  the  scene  of  Craw 
ford's  fate,)  he  started  under  charge  of  a  Delaware  Indian. 
The  first  clay  they  traveled  about  twenty-five  miles  and  en 
camped  for  the  night.  In  the  morning  the  gnats  becoming 
very  troublesome,  the  Doctor  requested  the  Indian  to  untie 
him  that  he  might  help  him  make  a  fire  to  keep  them  off. 
With  this  request  the  Indian  complied.  While  the  latter 
was  on  his  knees  and  elbows,  blowing  the  fire,  the  Doctor 
caught  up  a  dogwood  stick,  about  eighteen  inches  long,  with 
which  he  struck  the  Indian  on  his  head,  knocking  him  for 
ward  into  the  fire.  He  sprang  to  his  feet,  but  Knight  had 
seized  the  Indian's  gun,  and  the  latter  fled.  After  twenty- 
one  days  of  wandering,  Knight  reached  the  frontier  of  Vir 
ginia,  nearly  famished  to  death. 

Another  captive,  John  Slover,  who  was  doomed  to  the 
stake  at  the  Shawanese  villages,  but  who  made  a  wonderful 


388  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

escape  from  his  savage  persecutors,  saw  the  dead  bodies  of 
William  Crawford,  a  nephew  of  Col.  Crawford  and  of  Major 
Harrison,  his  son-in-law,  at  Wakatomika.  The  unfortunate 
Crawford  had  been  assured  by  Pipe,  that  these  relatives 
would  be  admitted  to  mercy,  but  they,  as  well  as  Colonel 
McLelland,  the  second  in  command,  were  beaten  to  death 
soon  after  reaching  the  valley  of  Mad  Ptiver. 

Thus,  life  for  life  were  the  atrocities  on  the  Muskingum 
avenged  at  the  sources  of  the  Sandusky.  It  was  the  cry  of 
vengeance  for  the  Christian  Delawares  slaughtered  at  Gna- 
denhutten,  which  was  raised  by  Pipe  on  the  banks  of  the 
Tymochtee,  drowning  every  appeal  or  suggestion  of  mercy 
for  one  so  estimable  as  all  contemporary  accounts  represent 
Col.  William  Crawford  to  have  been.  Although  the  Mus 
kingum  proselytes  were  the  objects  of  persecution  by  their 
heathen  brethren,  yet  it  was  far  from  being  a  persecution 
unto  death.  It  had  for  its  object  their  restoration  to  the 
customs  and  associations  of  their  former  lives,  and  was  en 
tirely  consistent  with  warm  personal  attachments.  Loskiel 
narrates  that  the  wife  of  Captain  Pipe  had  been  strongly 
moved  by  the  persuasions  of  the  missionaries ;  and  the  chief 
himself,  when  not  instigated  by  Elliott,  Girty  or  McKee,  was 
disposed  to  be  just  and  tolerant  even  to  the  teachers.  He 
was  a  magnanimous  savage,  and  his  indignant  repulse  of  all 
compromise  with  his  rude  sense  of  justice — when  Girty  sought 
to  invoke  his  influence  to  save  Crawford  by  an  offer  of  money — 
gives  a  heroic  air  to  the  dreadful  tragedy  which  followed. 
"  Sir,  do  you  think  I  am  a  squaw  ?"  replied  the  indignant 
Delaware.  "If  you  say  one  word  more  on  the  subject,  I 
will  make  a  stake  for  you  and  burn  you  along  with  the  white 
chief." 

With  Crawford's  defeat,  and  the  carnage  at  Blue  Licks  in 


RESTORATION    OF   PEACE.  389 

August  following,  closed  the  drama  of  the  American  Revo 
lution  upon  the  wilderness  of  Ohio.  Soon  the  motive  power 
of  British  intrigue  and  gratuities  wras  withdrawn,  as  the  ter 
mination  and  result  of  the  struggle  became  apparent,  and  the 
ravages  of  their  Indian  allies  also  abated.  The  latter  were 
glutted  with  vengeance  and  plunder,  and  while  their  villages 
rang  with  their  savage  festivals,  there  was  comparative  indis 
position  to  assume  the  risks  of  fresh  forays  upon  the  frontiers 
of  Pennsylvania. 

On  the  30th  of  November,  1782,  provisional  articles  of 
peace  had  been  arranged  at  Paris  :  on  the  20th  of  January 
following,  hostilities  ceased  :  on  the  19th  of  April,  1783, 
peace  was  proclaimed  to  the  army  of  the  United  States,  and 
on  the  3d  of  September  a  definite  treaty  wras  concluded. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

SUBSEQUENT  MOVEMENTS  OF  THE  MORAVIAN  CONGREGATION. 

THE  removal  of  the  Moravian  missionaries  to  Detroit,  and 
the  dispersion  of  their  Indian  congregation,  did  not  terminate 
the  labors  of  Zeisberger,  Heckewelder,  and  their  associates 
in  the  Western  wilderness.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  in 
terposition  of  Col.  Depeyster  was  prompted  by  a  disinterested 
regard  for  their  safety ;  and  the  departure  of  the  Christian 
Indians  from  Upper  Sandusky,  which  soon  followed,  is  com 
memorated  by  Loskiel  and  Heckewelder  as  a  manifest  token 
of  the  Divine  protection,  specially  vouchsafed  to  arrest  a 
repetition  of  the  massacre  at  Gnadenhutten. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  missionaries  at  Detroit,  Governor 
Depeyster  offered  to  provide  means  for  the  removal  of  them 
selves  and  their  families  to  Bethlehem  in  Pennsylvania,  but 
they  "  resolved,  from  motives  of  duty  and  affection,  to  use 
their  utmost  exertions  to  gather  their  scattered  flock."  In 
this  design,  they  received  the  countenance  and  aid  of  the 
English  officer.  A  site  was  selected  in  Michigan,  thirty 
miles  distant  from  Detroit,  and  on  the  Huron  River.  The 
Chippewas  were  induced,  by  the  influence  of  Col.  Depeyster, 
to  assent  to  such  an  occupation  of  a  portion  of  their  hunting 
grounds  :  the  settlement  was  affectionately  called  New  Gnad 
enhutten  ;  and  thither  the  Christian  Indians,  by  messages 
directed  to  them  on  the  Scioto  and  the  Miami  of  the  Lake, 
were  invited  to  come.  The  Governor  accompanied  the  invi 
tation  by  an  assurance,  that  they  should  enjoy  perfect  liberty 

(390) 


THE    MORAVIANS    NEAR   DETROIT.  391 

of  conscience,  and  be  supplied  with  provisions  and  other  ne 
cessaries  of  life. 

On  the  second  of  July,  1782,  two  families  arrived  from 
the  Miami,  who  were  soon  joined  by  Abraham,  a  venerable 
assistant,  and  two  other  families  :  a  seasonable  remittance  of 
one  hundred  pounds  sterling  by  their  brethren  in  London, 
reached  the  missionaries  about  the  same  time ;  and  on  the 
20th  of  July,  the  new  settlement  was  commenced.  On  the 
5th  of  November,  the  missionaries  (namely,  Zeisberger,  Ileck- 
e welder,  Youngman  and  Senscman,  with  their  families,  and 
the  "single  brethren,"  Edwards  and  Young)  had  the  grati 
fication  of  meeting  fifty-three  of  their  converts  at  the  conse 
cration  of  a  chapel.  Losldel  says  that  the  fugitives  to  the 
Shawanese  had  been  in  great  danger  of  their  lives,  and  had 
only  escaped  by  a  precipitate  flight.  The  larger  portion  had 
sought  the  protection  of  their  Delaware  kindred  on  the  Miami 
— the  personal  adherents  of  Pachgantschihilas,  or  Bockenge- 
helas,  the  great  war  chief  of  the  Delawares,  whose  magnan 
imous  conduct  at  the  Muskingum  villages,  in  1781,  has 
already  been  detailed.  When  Bockengehelas  was  urged  by 
Captain  Pipe  "not  to  suffer  the  believing  Indians  to  leave 
his  territory,"  his  reply  is  thus  reported  by  Losldel :  "  I  shall 
never  hinder  any  one  of  my  friends  from  going  to  their 
teachers.  Why  did  you  expel  them  ?  I  have  told  you  be 
forehand,  that  if  you  drive  the  teachers  away,  the  believing 
Indians  would  not  stay.  But  yet  you  would  do  it,  and  now 
you  have  lost  the  believing  Indians,  together  with  their 
teachers.  Who  murdered  the  believing  Indians  on  the 
Muskingum  ?  Did  the  white  people  murder  them  ?  I  say, 
no !  You  have  committed  the  horrid  deed !  Why  could 
you  not  let  them  live  in  peace  where  they  were  ?  If  you 
had  let  them  alone,  they  would  all  have  been  living  at  this 


392  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

day,  and  we  should  now  see  the  faces  of  our  friends :  but 
you  determined  otherwise." 

The  other  Delaware  chiefs  made  extraordinary  exertions  to 
dissuade  their  converted  kindred  from  joining  the  missiona 
ries  ;  and  although  forty-three  of  their  number  returned  in 
the  summer  of  1783,  yet  many  relapsed  into  savage  life. 

The  manner  in  which  the  Indian  congregation  sustained 
the  severe  winter  of  1784,  with  other  incidents  of  that  period, 
are  thus  narrated  by  the  European  historian  of  the  Mission : 
"  In  the  beginning  of  the  year  1784,  a  most  extraordinary 
frost  set  in,  extending  over  the  whole  country  about  New 
Gnadenhutten.  All  the  rivers  and  lakes  were  frozen,  and 
the  oldest  inhabitants  of  Detroit  did  not  remember  ever  to 
have  seen  such  a  deep  fall  of  snow.  In  some  places  it  lay 
five  or  six  feet  deep.  The  long  continuance  of  this  severe 
weather  was  the  cause  of  great  distress.  March  6th,  the 
snow  was  still  four  feet  deep ;  about  the  end  of  the  month  it 
began  to  melt,  but  the  ice  on  the  River  Huron  did  not  break 
till  the  4th  of  April,  and  Lake  St.  Clair  was  not  free  from 
ice  in  the  beginning  of  May. 

"  As  no  one  expected  so  long  and  severe  a  winter,  there 
was  no  provision  made  either  for  man  or  beast.  The  extra 
ordinary  and  early  night  frosts  of  the  autumn  before,  had 
destroyed  a  great  part  of  the  promising  harvest  of  Indian 
corn,  and  thus  the  Indians  soon  began  to  feel  want ;  for  what 
was  bought  at  Detroit  was  very  dear,  and  the  bakers  there 
refused  to  sell  bread  at  a  Spanish  dollar  per  pound.  The 
deep  snow  prevented  all  hunting.  The  Indians  were  there 
fore  obliged  to  seek  a  livelihood  wherever  they  could  get  it, 
and  some  lived  upon  nothing  but  wild  herbs.  At  length  a 
general  famine  prevailed,  and  the  hollow  eyes  and  emaciated 
countenances  of  the  poor  people  were  a  sad  token  of  their 


THE    MORAVIANS    NEAR    DETROIT.  393 

distress.  Yet  they  appeared  always  resigned  and  cheerful, 
and  God  in  due  season  relieved  them.  A  large  herd  of  deer 
strayed  unexpectedly  into  the  neighborhood  of  New  Gnaden- 
hutten,  of  which  the  Indians  shot  above  an  hundred,  though 
the  cold  was  then  so  intense,  that  several  returned  with 
frozen  feet,  owing  chiefly  to  their  wearing  snow-shoes."  x 

Heckewelder  mentions  that  the  cattle  were  saved  from 
starvation,  by  the  discovery  that  the  deer  fed  upon  a  species 
of  rushes,  or  scrub  grass,  which  grew  along  the  river  banks, 
or  the  borders  of  the  ponds.  "  Strange  as  it  may  appear," 
he  says  in  his  narrative,  "  even  our  hogs  lived  chiefly  upon 
those  rushes,  or  the  sap  or  juice  thereof,  for  after  chewing 
the  stalks,  until  they  had  drawn  the  juicy  substance  out,  they 
would  drop  the  cud  and  take  a  fresh  bite.  Both  these  and 
the  horned  cattle,  were  not  only  saved  from  starving  during 
the  winter,  but  were  in  fine  order  in  the  spring.  Even  the 
fowls  would  eat  it  greedily  after  being  cut  up  in  small  pieces 
of  the  size  of  a  grain  of  Indian  corn :  and  the  Indians  say, 
that  they  lay  more  eggs  when  fed  with  rushes,  than  when 
fed  with  corn :  but  to  the  horses  (who  are  equally  fond  of  it) 
it  proved  fatal.  A  lean  horse  would  get  fat  on  them  in  four 
or  five  weeks,  but  if  left  to  feed  a  few  weeks  longer,  they 
would  surely  die.  On  examining  into  the  cause  of  this,  it 
was  discovered,  that  their  stomachs  were  cut  up,  or  worn 
quite  thin,  and  full  of  small  holes  like  a  sieve :  whereas,  with 
horn  cattle  and  deer  who  chewed  the  cud,  the  roughness  or 
sharpness  of  the  grass  had  not  this  effect."2 

We  resume  Loskiel.  "  They  now  began  again  to  barter 
venison  for  Indian  corn  at  Detroit,  and  thus  were  delivered 
from  the  danger  of  suffering  the  same  extremity  of  distress 

1)  Loskiel,  part  iii.,  p.  199. 

2)  Heckewelder's  Narrative,  p.  355. 


394  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

as  in  Sandusky.  As  soon  as  the  snow  melted,  they  went  in 
search  of  wild  potatoes  and  came  home  loaded  with  them. 
When  the  ice  was  gone,  they  went  out  and  caught  an  extra 
ordinary  number  of  fishes.  Bilberries  were  their  next  re 
source,  and  they  gathered  great  quantities,  soon  after  which 
they  reaped  their  crops  of  Indian  corn,  and  God  blessed  them 
with  a  very  rich  harvest,  so  that  there  was  not  one  who  lacked 
any  thing. 

"  Towards  the  end  of  May,  the  Governor  of  Detroit,  Colonel 
Depeyster,  removed  to  Niagara,  and  both  the  missionaries 
and  the  believing  Indians  sincerely  regretted  the  loss  of  this 
humane  man,  their  kind  friend  and  benefactor.  He  recom 
mended  them  to  the  favor  of  his  worthy  successor,  Major 
Ancrom,  in  whom  they  found  the  same  benevolent  disposition 
towards  them. 

"  The  more  the  good  fame  of  New  Gnadenhutten  spread, 
the  more  frequent  were  the  visits  of  the  white  people,  who 
could  not  sufficiently  admire  the  expedition  with  which  the 
believing  Indians  had  raised  this  pleasant  settlement.  They 
also  heard  here  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  which  doubtless 
had  a  good  effect  on  some.  As  it  happened  that  no  ordained 
Protestant  divine  resided  in  Detroit  at  that  time,  the  mission 
aries,  at  the  request  of  the  parents,  baptised  several  children, 
when  they  visited  the  fort.  Some  parents  brought  their 
children  to  New  Gnadenhutten,  to  be  baptised  there,  and  a 
trader,  who  had  two  unbaptised  children,  went  thither  with 
his  wife  and  whole  family,  and  publicly  presented  his  children 
to  the  Lord  in  holy  baptism.  But  as  to  the  ceremony  of 
marriage,  which  several  persons  desired  the  missionaries  to 
perform,  they  wished  on  many  accounts  to  be  excused  as 
much  as  possible. 

"The  industry  of  the  Christian  Indians  had  now  rendered 


ANOTHER  YEAR  ON  THE  HURON.          395 

New  Gnadenhutten  a  very  pleasant  and  regular  town.  The 
houses  were  as  well  built  as  if  they  intended  to  live  and  die 
in  them.  The  country,  formerly  a  dreadful  wilderness,  was 
now  cultivated  to  that  extent  that  it  afforded  a  sufficient 
maintenance  for  them.  The  rest  they  now  enjoyed  was  par 
ticularly  sweet,  after  such  terrible  scenes  of  trouble  and 
distress.  But  towards  the  end  of  the  year  1784,  it  appeared 
tli at  they  would  likewise  be  obliged  to  quit  this  place.  Some 
of  the  Chippewas  had,  the  year  before,  expressed  their  dis 
satisfaction  that  the  believing  Indians  should  form  a  settle 
ment  in  a  country  which  had  been  their  chief  hunting  place  ; 
but  the  governor  of  Detroit  pacified  them  at  that  time  with 
good  words.  Now  they  renewed  their  complaints,  pretending 
that  they  had  only  allowed  the  Christian  Indians  to  live  there 
till  peace  should  be  established,  and  even  threatened  to 
murder  some  of  them  in  order  to  compel  the  rest  to  quit  the 
country.  After  many  consultations,  it  evidently  appeared 
that  the  complaints  and  vexatious  demands  of  this  nation 
would  not  cease.  Added  to  this,  the  governor  of  Detroit 
sent  word  to  the  believing  Indians  that  they  should  not  con 
tinue  to  clear  land  and  build,  nothing  being  yet  fixed,  either 
as  to  the  territory  or  government.  The  missionaries  there 
fore  thought  it  most  prudent  to  take  steps  to  return  with  their 
congregation  to  the  south  side  of  Lake  Erie,  and  to  settle 
near  the  river  Walhonding.  This  proposal  being  approved 
by  the  congregation,  the  governor  of  Detroit  was  informed 
of  it,  and  preparations  were  made  to  emigrate  in  the  spring 
of  1785." 

But  these  preparations  were  suspended  by  the  unsettled 
condition  of  affairs  on  the  Ohio  frontier,  and  another  year 
passed  on  the  Huron  liiver.  In  May,  1785,  the  missionaries 
Youmrman  and  Scnseman  returned  with  their  families  to 


396  IIISTOKY    OF    OHIO. 

Bethlehem,  and  the  mission  remained  under  the  care  of  Zeis- 
berger,  Heckewelder  and  Edwards.  "The  latter"  (to  con 
tinue  the  selections  from  Loskiel)  "  went  in  July,  with  three 
Indian  brethren,  to  Pittsburgh,  with  a  view  to  gain  certain 
information  concerning  the  state  of  affairs  in  the  Indian 
country,  and  to  search  out  a  proper  situation  on  the  river 
Walhonding  for  a  new  settlement.  In  Pittsburgh  he  was  told 
that  strictly  speaking,  not  an  inch  of  land  to  the  east  of  Lake 

Erie  could  be  called  Indian  country,  the  United  States  havin^ 

•/ '  ?3 

claimed  every  part  of  it ;  and  though  they  did  not  intend  to 
drive  the  Indians  away  by  force,  yet  they  would  not  permit 
them  to  live  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  white  people.  He 
also  received  letters  from  Bishop  John  de  Water villc,  who 
had  arrived  from  Europe  to  hold  a  visitation  in  the  congre 
gations  of  the  brethren  in  North  America,  by  which  he  was 
informed  that  Congress  had  expressly  reserved  the  district 
belonging  to  the  three  settlements  of  the  Christian  Indians 
on  the  Muskingum,  to  be  measured  out  and  given  to  them 
with  as  much  land  as  the  surveyor  should  think  proper.  The 
same  intelligence  he  likewise  received  from  the  Philadelphia 
papers,  and  hastened  home  to  acquaint  the  Indian  congrega 
tion  with  this  unexpected  decision  in  their  favor,  which  occa 
sioned  universal  joy.  An  Indian  is  naturally  very  averse  to 
dwelling  in  any  place  where  one  of  his  relations  has  been 
killed,  but  the  believing  Indians  had  even  parted  with  this 
kind  of  superstition,  and  longed  to  be  there  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble."3 

3)  The  Moravian  society  at  Bethlehem  had  memorialized  Congress  on 
the  28th  of  October,  1783,  to  reserve  to  the  remnants  of  the  Muskingum 
mission  their  three  towns  and  the  surrounding  lands.  A  favorable  report 
was  made  in  March,  1784,  and  on  the  20th  of  May,  1785,  Congress  ordered 
that  "the  said  towns  and  so  much  of  the  adjoining  lands  as,  in  the  judg 
ment  of  the  geographer  of  the  United  States,  (might)  be  sufficient  for  them, 


THE    RETURN    TO    OHIO.  897 

Immediately  after  Easter,  1786,  New  Gnadenhutten  was 
abandoned,  and  its  inhabitants  proceeded  to  Detroit  in  twenty- 
two  canoes,  with  the  purpose  of  thence  returning  to  Ohio. 
They  were  hospitably  received  by  the  governor,  and  after  a 
parting  interview  with  the  Chippewa  chiefs,  to  whom  a  bundle 
of  some  thousands  of  wanipum  was  presented  in  token  of 
gratitude,  the  congregation  embarked  on  the  28th  of  April, 
in  two  trading  sloops,  the  Beaver  and  the  Mackinaw,  which 
had  been  generously  placed  at  their  service  by  the  agent  of 
the  Northwest  company.  Their  destination  was  the  mouth 
of  the  Cuyahoga,  and  in  twenty-four  hours  the  vessels  had 
reached  the  Bars  Islands  of  Lake  Erie,  adjacent  to  the 
Sandusky  peninsula.  Here  the  winds  became  adverse,  and 
a  detention  of  four  weeks  ensued.  The  sea-sick  voyagers 
pitched  their  camp  upon  Cunningham's,  or  Kelley's  Island, 
going  on  board  at  every  prospect  of  release  from  their  bon 
dage  to  the  northeast  wind.  Once  they  set  forward  with  a 
brisk  and  favorable  breeze,  and  were  in  sight  of  the  coast  of 
Cuyahoga,  when  the  wind  shifted  and  drove  them  back  to 
their  station  on  the  Island.  They  lived  by  hunting  and  fish 
ing,  and  found  wild  potatoes,  onions,  and  "  several  kinds  of 
wholesome  herbs  in  abundance."  At  length  this  Island  was 

together  with  the  buildings,  &c.,  (should)  be  reserved  for  the  sole  use  of  the 
Christian  Indians  formerly  settled  there."  Congress  passed  another  ordi 
nance,  dated  27th  of  July.  1787,  "that  the  property  of  ten  thousand  acres, 
adjoining  to  the  former  settlements  of  the  Christian  Indians,  should  be 
vested  in  the  Moravian  Brethren  at  Pennsylvania,  or  a  society  of  the  said 
Brethren  for  civilizing  the  Indians  and  promoting  Christianity,  in  trust  and 
for  the  uses  expressed  in  the  ordinance  of  May  20,  178.3,  including  Killbuck 
and  his  descendants,  and  the  nephew  and  descendants  of  the  late  Captain. 
White  Eyes.  Delaware  chiefs  who  have  distinguished  themselves  as  friends 
of  the  cause  of  America."  The  three  town  plats  were  six  hundred  and 
sixty-six  and  two-thirds  acres  each,  making,  with  the  ten  thousand  above 
mentioned,  twelve  thousand  acres,  which  were  surveyed  in  1797,  and  pat 
ented  on  the  4th  of  February,  1708. 


398  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

cleared  of  game,  and  they  went  to  another,  ("Hope's  Love, 
or  Put-in  Bay,"  according  to  Heckewelder)  where  they  found 
"  a  better  haven  and  good  hunting,  but  a  remarkable  number 
of  rattlesnakes." 

On  the  28th  of  May,  a  vessel  arrived  from  Detroit  to  recall 
the  Beaver,  and  it  was  determined  that  the  Mackinaw  should 
transport  the  baggage  and  a  few  of  the  company  to  Cuya- 
hoga,  while  most  of  them  should  make  the  journey  along  the 
coast.  They  were  landed  at  llocky  Point,  about  eight  miles 
from  Sandusky  Bay  (probably  the  promontory  now  known  as 
Scott's  Point,  or  Ottawa  City,  in  Ottawa  county).  "  Here," 
says  Loskiel,  "  they  had  to  ascend  very  high  and  steep  rocks, 
and  to  cut  a  way  through  the  thicket  to  their  summit.  Heck 
ewelder  records  the  capture  and  cure  of  "  five  hundred  white 
fish  that  had  retired,  during  the  high  blowing  wind,  between 
Rocky  Island  and  the  shore,  where  the  water  was  about  two 
feet  deep." 

The  travelers  organized  themselves  into  two  divisions. 
One,  led  by  Zeisberger,  proposed  to  make  the  journey  by 
land,  while  the  second  division  of  the  congregation,  led  by 
Heckewelder,  constructed  canoes  of  elm  bark  for  a  coasting 
voyage  to  Cuyahoga.  Zeisberger' s  party  "  had  hardly  pitched 
their  camp  (proceeds  Loskiel)  before  a  party  of  Ottawas, 
who  wrere  hunting  in  that  neighborhood,  rode  towards  them 
and  expressed  great  astonishment  to  find  such  a  large  number 
of  people  encamped  in  the  pathless  desert.  The  Christian 
Indians  treated  them  as  hospitably  as  their  circumstances 
would  permit,  and  were  in  return  presented  by  the  Ottawas 
with  some  deer's  flesh,  and  informed  of  the  manner  in  which 
they  might  best  make  a  way  through  the  forests  through 
which  they  had  to  pass.  The  day  following,  they  all  set  out 
on  foot,  and  every  one,  the  missionary  and  his  wife  not 


SETTLEMENT   AT   PILGEKRUH. 

cxcepted,  was  loaded  with  a  proportionable  part  of  the  pro 
visions.  Those  who  formed  the  van  had  the  greatest  diffi 
culties  to  encounter,  being  obliged  to  cut  and  break  their  way 
through  the  thicket.  They  soon  arrived  at  a  large  brook 
running  through  a  swamp,  through  which  all  the  Indians, 
both  men  and  women,  waded,  some  being  up  to  their  armpits 
in  the  water.  Some  of  the  children  were  carried,  others 
swam,  and  brother  Zeisberger  and  his  wife  were  brought  over 
upon  a  barrow,  carried  by  four  Indian  brethren.  When  they 
arrived  at  Sandusky  Bay,  they  hired  boats  of  the  Ottawas, 
from  whom  also  they  received  frequent  visits  during  their 
stay.  One  evening  the  savages  had  a  dance,4  and  none  of 
the  Christian  Indians  appearing  at  it,  as  they  expected,  some 
came  and  endeavored  to  persuade  the  young  people  to  join 
them ;  but  meeting  with  a  refusal,  they  addressed  brother 
Zeisberger,  begging  him  to  encourage  them.  He  replied  that 
the  Christian  Indians  lived  no  more  after  the  manner  of  the 
heathen,  having  found  something  better.  June  8d,  they 
crossed  the  Sandusky  Bay,  and  the  day  after,  the  river  Pet- 
quotting,  in  a  vessel  belonging  to  a  French  trader.0  During 
this  journey  they  celebrated  the  Whitsuntide  holydays,  and 
rejoiced  to  see  many  attentive  hearers  among  the  heathen. 

"  June  4th,  the  second  division,  led  by  John  Heckewelder, 
overtook  them  in  slight  canoes,  the  sloop  Mackinaw  having 
sailed  with  the  heavy  baggage  straight  for  Cuyahoga.  The 
whole  congregation  now  traveled  together,  one  half  on  foot 
along  the  coast  of  the  lake,  and  the  others  in  canoes,  keeping 
as  close  to  the  shore  as  possible.  June  7th,  they  arrived  at 

4)  Johnson's  Island,  near  the  mouth  of  Sandusky  Bay.  and  separated 
from  the  Peninsula  by  a  narrow  strait,  was  a  favorite  resort  of  the  Otta 
wa?,  for  festivals  and  dances.  It  is  probable  that  the  transaction  narrated 
above  qccurred  on  that  island. 

?>}  Xo\v  Huron  Rivor. 


400  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

the  celebrated  rocks  on  the  south  coast  of  Lake  Erie.  They 
rise  forty  or  fifty  feet  perpendicular  out  of  the  water,  and 
are  in  many  places  so  much  undermined  by  the  waves,  that 
they  seem  considerably  to  project  over  the  lake.  Some  parts 
of  them  consist  of  several  strata  of  different  colors,  lying 
in  a  horizontal  direction,  and  so  exactly  parallel  that  they 
resemble  the  work  of  art."  In  Heckewelder's  narratives, 
the  ceremonies  of  a  party  of  Chippewas,  who  sought,  by 
supplications  and  gifts  of  tobacco  to  propitiate  the  spirits  of 
the  winds  and  waves,  are  fully  described.  They  preceded 
the  Moravian  party,  and  had  scarcely  passed  the  rocky  range 
when  a  terrific  storm  arose.  When  it  subsided,  Heckewel 
der's  little  fleet  also  achieved  the  voyage  without  accident. 
Zeisberger's  land  party  reached  the  Cuyahoga  simultane 
ously.  "  The  sloop  also  arrived  safely,  and  drifted  so  near 
the  shore  in  a  calm,  that  the  baggage  could  be  taken  out  and 
carried  to  land  in  canoes,  upon  which  the  sloop  returned  to 
Detroit," 

Both  the  Moravian  annalists  concur  in  mentioning  "  a  large 
store-house  filled  with  flour,  at  the  mouth  of  Cuyahoga," 
which,  Heckewelder  adds,  was  owned  by  "Messrs.  Duncan 
&  Wilson,  of  Pittsburgh,  who  carried  on  a  trade  in  articles 
of  provisions  to  Detroit." 

As  soon  as  additional  canoes  could  be  provided,  the  party 
ascended  the  Cuyahoga  to  "an  old  town  about  one  hundred 
and  forty  miles  distant  from  Pittsburgh,  which  had  been  for 
saken  by  the  Ottawas."  Here  the  forest,  which  had  been 
unbroken  from  the  mouth  of  the  river,  was  cleared,  and  the 
recent  growth  was  easily  removed,  allowing  them  to  plant 
corn.  Their  encampment  was  on  an  elevated  plain  east  of 
the  river,  about  twelve  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  received 


SETTLEMENT   AT    PILGEIUIUH.  401 

the  name  of  Pilgerruh,  or  Pilgrim's  Rest.6  "Here,"  as 
Loskiel  narrates,  "  they  regulated  their  daily  worship  in  the 
usual  manner,  reestablished  the  statutes  of  the  congregation, 
and  God  blessed  their  labors.  August  the  13th,  they  partook 
of  the  Lord's  Supper  for  the  first  time  on  this  spot,  which  to 
them  was  the  most  important  and  blessed  of  all  festivals. 

"In  externals,  God  granted  them  his  gracious  assistance. 
Brother  Zeisberger,  having  given  information  of  the  arrival 
of  the  Indian  congregation  at  the  Cuyahoga  creek  to  the 
governor  of  Pittsburgh,  and  brother  Shebosch  having  been 
at  that  place  to  endeavor  to  procure  provisions,  Messrs. 
Duncan  &  Wilson  were  so  kind  as  to  provide  a  sufficient 
supply,  trusting  them  for  a  great  part  of  the  payment.  Con 
gress  likewise  ordered  a  quantity  of  Indian  corn  and  blankets 
to  be  given  them.7  They  also  found  means  to  purchase 
several  necessary  articles  from  traders  passing  through  on 
their  way  from  Pittsburgh  to  Detroit,  and  as  they  had  an 
opportunity  of  going  by  water  to  Sandusky  and  Petquotting, 
they  easily  procured  Indian  corn  from  those  places.  The 
two  hundred  dollars  which  they  received  for  their  houses  and 
fields  on  the  river  Huron,  enabled  them  to  make  their  pay 
ments  good.  In  hunting  deer,  bears,  and  moose-deer,  they 
were  remarkably  successful.  The  congregation  at  Bethlehem 
had  charitably  collected  a  considerable  quantity  of  different 
articles  to  supply  the  necessities  of  the  Christian  Indians ; 
but  these  having  been  detained  on  the  road,  did  not  arrive  at 
Pilgerruh  till  August,  1786,  when  they  were  equally  divided 

6)  "Within  the  present  limits  of  Independence,  Cuyahoga  county." — 
Howe's  Hist.  Coll,  120. 

7)  Lieut.  Col.  Harmar,  then  in  command  at  Fort  Mclntosh,  was  directed 
to  furnish  the  Christian  Indians  with  five  hundred  bushels  of  Indian  corn, 
one  hundred  blankets  and  other  necessaries.    The  supplies  were  not  deliv 
ered,  however. — American  State  Papers,  Indian  Affairs,  vol.  ii.>  p.  373. 

17* 


402  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

among  all ;  the  children  even  received  their  share,  and  the 
whole  congregation  expressed,  in  the  most  lively  terms,  their 
sincere  acknowledgments  to  their  kind  benefactors.  Salt 
was  not  so  easily  procured  here  as  on  the  river  Huron,  the 
salt  springs  being  a  great  way  off." 

.  The  summer  and  winter  passed  without  material  change 
in  the  situation  and  prospects  of  the  little  community.  In 
October,  1786,  John  Heckewelder  returned  to  Bethlehem, 
leaving  David  Zeisberger  and  William  Edwards  in  charge  of 
the  congregation ;  and  on  the  10th  of  November,  "  a  new 
and  spacious  chapel  was  consecrated :  but  the  Indians  only 
furnished  themselves  with  frail  huts,  hoping  soon  to  reach  the 
Muskingum.  In  this  they  were  destined  to  disappointment. 
Every  day  added  to  the  exposure  and  danger  which  would 
attend  a  removal  thither ;  and  towards  the  close  of  the  year 
1786,  Captain  Pipe  sent  a  message,  urging  them  to  remove 
westward  to  the  Petquotting  or  Huron  River.  Another 
message  from  the  Delawares,  was  a  pressing  invitation  to 
Sandusky.  Thus  a  dilemma  was  presented  to  the  leaders  of 
the  congregation.  While  their  own  inclination  was  decidedly 
in  favor  of  a  speedy  occupation  of  their  former  seats  on  the 
Muskingum,  they  wTere  advised  by  Gen.  Richard  Butler,  the 
Indian  Agent  of  the  United  States,  to  remain  for  the  present 
on  the  Cuyahoga,  and  the  Indians  insisted  on  their  removal 
to  localities  still  more  remote.  The  dispositions  and  final 
action  of  the  missionaries,  with  the  attending  circumstances, 
are  thus  stated  by  Loskiel : 

"  Accustomed  to  venture  their  lives  in  the  service  of  the 
Lord,  they  were  unconcerned  as  to  their  own  safety,  and  if 
that  alone  had  been  the  point  in  question,  they  would  not 
have  hesitated  a  moment  to  return  to  the  Muskingum :  but 
they  durst  not  bring  the  congregation  committed  to  their  care, 


THE   MORAVIANS    LEAVE   PILGEUIIUH.  403 

into  so  dreadful  and  dangerous  a  situation.  They  rather 
thought  it  their  duty  to  sacrifice  every  other  consideration  to 
the  welfare  and  safety  of  their  flock,  and  therefore,  after 
mature  deliberation,  resolved  to  propose  to  them,  that  they 
should  give  up  all  thoughts  of  returning  to  the  Muskingum 
for  the  present,  but  at  the  same  time  not  remain  on  the 
Cuyahoga,  but  rather  seek  to  find  some  spot  between  that 
river  and  Petquotting,  where  they  might  procure  a  peaceable 
and  safe  retreat.  This  proposal  was  solemnly  accepted,  first 
by  the  Indian  assistants,  and  then  by  the  whole  congregation. 
Soon  after  this,  the  following  message  arrived  from  a  Dela 
ware  chief  to  Brother  Zeisberger :  '  Grandfather  !  having 
heard  that  you  propose  to  live  on  the  Muskingum,  I  would 
advise  you  not  to  go  thither  this  spring.  I  cannot  yet  tell 
you  my  reason  ;  nor  can  I  say  whether  we  shall  have  war  or 
peace,  but  so  much  I  can  say,  that  it  is  not  yet  time.  Do 
not  think  that  I  wish  to  oppose  your  preaching  the  word  of 
God  to  the  Indians.  I  am  glad  that  you  do  this ;  but  I 
advise  you  for  your  good.  Go  not  to  the  Muskingum.' 8  This 
message  tended  to  confirm  the  people  in  the  above  mentioned 
resolution,  which  was  undoubtedly  the  most  prudent  at  the 
time ;  and  in  the  beginning  of  April,  some  Indian  brethren 
set  out,  with  a  view  to  seek  a  place  for  a  new  settlement,  and 
found  one  much  to  their  mind. 

"  Meanwhile  the  Indian  congregation  of  Pilgerruh,  cele 
brated  Lent  and  Easter  in  a  blessed  manner.  The  public 
reading  of  the  history  of  our  Lord's  passion,  was  attended 
with  a  remarkable  impression  on  the  hearts  of  all  present. 
The  congregation  could  not  sufficiently  express  their  desire 
to  hear  more  of  it,  and  it  appeared  as  if  they  now  heard  this 
great  and  glorious  word  for  the  first  time. 

8)  No  one  was  more  likely  to  send  such  a  message  than  the  noble-hearted 
Boekengchelas 


404  1-IlSTOllY    OP    OHIO. 

"April  19th,  1787,  the  Christian  Indians  closed  their 
residence  at  Pilgerruh,  by  offering  up  solemn  prayer  and 
praise  in  their  chapels,  which  they  had  used  but  a  short  time. 
They  thanked  the  Lord  for  all  the  internal  and  external 
blessings  he  had  conferred  upon  them  in  this  place,  and  then 
set  out  in  two  parties,  one  by  land,  led  by  Brother  Zeisberger, 
and  the  other  by  water,  with  Brother  Edwards.  The  latter 
were  obliged  to  cross  over  a  considerable  part  of  Lake  Erie. 
But  before  they  had  left  the  Cayahaga  creek,  a  dreadful 
storm  arose,  the  wind  blowing  from  the  lake.  The  waves 
beat  with  such  violence  against  the  rocks  described  above, 
that  the  earth  seemed  to  tremble  with  the  sound.  The  trav 
elers  thanked  God  that  they  were  yet  in  safety  in  the  creek, 
and  being  in  want  of  provisions,  spent  the  time  in  fishing. 
One  night  they  fished  with  torches,  and  pierced  above  three 
hundred  large  fish  of  a  good  flavor,  resembling  pikes,  and 
weighing  from  three  to  five  pounds,  part  of  which  they  roasted 
and  ate,  and  dried  the  rest  for  provisions  on  the  voyage. 
April  24th,  the  travelers  by  land,  and  the  day  following  those 
who  went  by  water,  arrived  at  the  place  fixed  upon  for  their 
future  abode.  It  appeared  like  a  fruitful  orchard,  several 
wild  apple  and  plum  trees  growing  here  and  there.  They 
had  never  settled  upon  so  good  and  fertile  a  spot  of  ground. 
The  camp  was  formed  about  a  league  from  the  lake,  which  in 
these  parts  abounded  with  fish.  Wild  potatoes,  an  article 
of  food  much  esteemed  by  the  Indians,  grew  here  plentifully. 
The  brethren  rejoiced  at  the  thoughts  of  establishing  a  regu 
lar  settlement  in  so  pleasant  a  country,  especially  as  it  wras 
not  frequented  by  any  of  those  savages  who  had  hitherto 
proved  such  troublesome  neighbors.9 

"But  their  joy  was  of  short  duration.     April    27th,  a 

9)  This  was  the  fertile  valley  of  the  Black  River  in  Lorain  county. 


SETTLEMENT   AT   NEW    SALEM.  405 

Delaware  Captain  arrived  in  the  camp,  and  informed  them 
that  they  should  not  remain  in  this  place  but  live  with  them 
at  Sandusky,  adding,  that  they  should  consider  it  a  matter 
positively  determined,  and  not  first  deliberate  upon  it.  He 
added,  as  usual,  the  most  solemn  declarations  of  protection 
and  safety.  The  Captain  assured  them  likewise,  that  the 
place  appointed  for  their  habitation  was  not  in  the  vicinity 
of  any  heathen  towns,  but  ten  miles  distant  from  the  nearest. 
To  the  missionary,  David  Zeisberger,  he  had  brought  the 
following  particular  message.  'Hear,  my  friend,  you  are 
my  grandfather.  I  am  not  ignorant  of  your  having  been 
formally  adopted  by  our  chiefs  as  a  member  of  our  nation. 
No  one  shall  hurt  you,  and  you  need  not  have  any  scruples 
about  coming  to  live  at  Sandusky.'  He  then  delivered  a 
string  of  wampum.  Disagreeable  as  this  message  was  to 
the  Christian  Indians,  and  though  they  represented  to  the 
Captain  the  malice,  deceit  and  treachery  of  the  Delaware 
Chiefs,  which  they  had  painfully  experienced  for  these  six  or 
seven  years  past :  yet  after  many  serious  consultations,  they 
and  the  missionaries  could  not  but  resolve  to  submit  to  the 
will  of  the  chiefs,  lest  they  should  bring  new  troubles  and 
persecutions  upon  the  mission.  Their  answer  was  therefore 
in  the  affirmative.  Brother  Zeisberger  answered  likewise 
the  particular  message  sent  to  him  to  the  same  effect,  yet, 
with  this  express  condition,  that  all  the  other  white  brethren 
should  have  the  same  privileges  granted  them,  and  his  suc 
cessor  in  office  enjoy  the  same  rights. 

"  Nothing  appeared  in  this  affair  so  dreadful  to  the  mis 
sionaries  as  the  prospect  of  being  again  subject  to  heathen 
rule  and  government.  Yet  they  could  not  deny  that  it  was 
more  agreeable  to  their  peculiar  calling  to  live  in  the  midst 
of  those  heathen,  to  whom  they  were  to  preach  the  gospel, 


406  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

and  therefore  write :  c  We  must  be  satisfied  to  live  in  the 
very  nest  of  Satan,  for  it  appears  indeed,  as  if  every  savage 
Indian  was  possessed  by  a  number  of  evil  spirits,  with  whom 
we  must  be  at  wrar.' ': 

"In  the  beginning  of  May,  they  with  great  joy  welcomed 
two  assistants  in  the  work  of  the  mission,  sent  by  the  con 
gregation  at  Bethlehem,  Michael  Young  and  John  Weygand, 
and  soon  after  left  a  country  so  pleasing  in  every  respect, 
with  great  regret,  proceeding  partly  by  water  on  Lake  Erie, 
partly  by  land  along  its  banks  to  Petquotting,  where  they 
encamped  about  a  mile  from  the  lake.  Here  they  found  that 
the  greatest  part  of  the  message  brought  by  the  above  men 
tioned  Captain  from  the  Delaware  chiefs  was  fallacious; 
for  the  place  fixed  upon  for  their  residence  was  not  above 
two  miles  from  the  villages  of  the  savages.  Our  Indians 
therefore,  and  the  missionaries,  resolved  not  to  go  any  far 
ther  for  the  present,  lest  they  should  be  entangled  in  some 
snare,  but  to  settle  near  Petquotting,  and  even  to  maintain 
their  situation  in  opposition  to  the  will  of  the  Delaware 
chiefs.  They  then  sought  and  found  an  uninhabited  place 
situated  on  a  river  called  also  Huron,  which  empties  itself 
into  the  lake  at  Petquotting,  whither  they  all  went  in 
canoes  on  the  llth  of  May,  and  before  night  a  small  village 
of  bark  huts  was  erected.  Hence  they  sent  deputies  to  the 
chiefs  to  inform  them  of  their  resolution  and  their  reasons 
for  it,  and  obtained  leave  to  stay  at  least  one  year  in  that 
place  without  molestation.  They  hoped  also  that  during 
that  period,  circumstances  might  alter  in  their  favor,  and 
that  they  might  perhaps  be  permitted  to  continue  there 
longer. 

"  They  therefore  made  plantations  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
river,  and  chose  the  east,  which  was  high  land,  for  their 


STATION    AT    NEW    SALEM.  407 

dwellings.  This  place  was  called  New  Salem.10  Here 
they  celebrated  Ascension  Day  and  Whitsuntide  in  the 
usual  manner,  meeting  in  the  open  air,  and  on  the  sixth  of 
June,  finished  and  consecrated  their  new  chapel,  which  was 
larger  and  better  built  than  that  at  Pilgerruh.  They  indeed 
wanted  more  room,  for  a  larger  number  of  heathen  Indians 
attended  their  public  worship  here,  than  at  the  Cayahaga, 
and  hardly  a  day  passed  without  visits  from  strangers. 
June  9th.  the  whole  congregation  held  a  love-feast,  for 
which  flour  had  been  sent  from  Bethlehem.  A  letter  to  the 
believing  Indians  from  Bishop  Johannes  Yon  Wateville,  was 
read  to  them  on  this  occasion,  and  heard  with  much  emotion. 
He  had  held  a  visitation  in  all  the  settlements  of  the  Breth 
ren  in  North  America,  but  to  his  sorrow  found  it  impossible 
to  go  to  the  Indian  congregation,  and  was  then  on  his  return 
to  Europe.  On  the  same  day  the  congregation  at  New 
Salem  partook  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  rejoicing  in  God  their 
Saviour,  whose  gracious  presence  comforted  their  hearts  in 
an  inexpresible  degree." 

And  here,  with  an  enthusiastic  narrative  of  the  reclama 
tion  of  "many  of  the  poor  lost  sheep,"  and  "the  increase  of 
the  Indian  assistants  in  grace  and  knowledge  of  the  truth," 
the  truthful  chronicle  of  Loskiel  draws  to  its  close.  "Ac 
cording,"  he  says,  "to  the  accounts  transmitted  to  the  mid 
dle  of  the  year  1787,  the  missionaries  were  full  of  courage 
and  confidence,  and  diligent  in  the  work  of  God  committed 
to  them." 

Although  the  limitation  of  Loskiel's  narrative  is  contempo 
raneous  with  the  period  to  which  this  volume  relates,  yet  we 
cannot  resist  the  inclination  to  follow  the  subsequent  fortunes 

10)  Near  the  north  line  of  the  township  of  Milan,  Erie  county. 


408  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

of  the  missions.  For  this  purpose,  Heckewelder  will  be  our 
principal  authority. 

Three  years  after  the  settlement  of  New  Salem,  in  the 
winter  of  1789-90,  the  Ohio  Indians  joined  a  league  of  the 
Western  savages  against  the  United  States,  and  it  was 
determined  at  a  general  council  to  remove  the  Christian 
Indians  and  their  teachers  from  Petquotting  to  Kegeyunk, 
now  Fort  Wayne,  and  that  the  former  should  then  be  re 
quired  to  take  part  in  the  impending  hostilities.  Informa 
tion  of  this  plot  was  secretly  communicated  to  Zeisberger  by 
some  friendly  Indians,  and  the  missionary  Edwards  was 
instantly  despatched  to  Detroit,  with  a  request  that  the 
British  commandant  would  grant  them  an  asylum.  He 
readily  consented,  and  in  April,  1790,  a  vessel  arrived  at 
the  Huron  River,  and  the  whole  Indian  congregation  aban 
doned  their  settlement  of  New  Salem.  They  were  at  length 
removed  to  the  river  Thames,  seventy  miles  northeast  of  De 
troit,  where  a  town  was  built  and  called  Fairfield. 

In  1797,  three  separate  tracts  of  four  thousand  acres  each, 
including  the  sites  of  Gnadehutten,  Schoenbrun  and  Salem 
were  surveyed  and  laid  off  to  the  mission.  In  the  spring  of 
1798,  John  Heckewelder  and  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Mortimer 
repaired  to  Fairfield  "by  way  of  the  Genessee  county, 
Black  Rock,  Niagara,  Grand  River,  and  the  Pinery  in 
Upper  Canada,  to  inform  the  congregation  that  the  Congres 
sional  grant  was  perfected:"  and  thence,  after  a  week's  stay, 
Heckewelder  and  Edwards,  with  two  young  Indians,  started 
for  the  Muskingum,  to  make  the  necessary  preparations  for  a 
permanent  settlement.  Their  route  was  by  Detroit,  Browns- 
town,  River  Raisen,  rapids  of  the  Maumce,  Upper  Sandusky, 
Owl  Creek  (now  Vernon  River)  and  the  Forks  of  the  Mus 
kingum.  In  October,  Zeisberger  and  Mortimer,  with  "a 


THE   MUSKINGUM   MISSION.  409 

large  number  of  the  Christian  Indians  from  Fairfield,"  ar 
rived  on  the  Muskingum  and  founded  Goshen.  In  1804,  a 
part  of  the  Fail-field  congregation  removed  to  Petquotting, 
and  renewed  their  missionary  settlement,  which  the  late 
Rev.  E.  Judson  of  Milan  supposed  to  have  been  situated  on 
the  spot  where  Milan  now  stands.  It  was  under  the  charge 
of  Rev.  Christian  Frederic  Dencke,  but  was  relinquished  in 
1800,  when  the  lands  had  been  surveyed,  and  began  to  be 
appropriated  by  the  whites.  The  Moravians  returned  to 
Fairfield. 

David  Zeisbcrger  passed  the  remnant  of  his  useful  life  at 
Goshen,  Tuscarawas  county,  where  he  died  November  7, 
1808,  aged  87  years,  7  months  and  (3  days.  At  the  same 
place,  in  1801,  William  Edwards  had  rested  from  his  labors, 
aged  about  seventy.  John  Heckewelder,  after  remaining  in 
the  scenes  of  his  early  missionary  life  from  1801  to  1810, 
returned  to  Bethlehem,  and  became  widely  known  as  the 
author  of  the  "Narrative  of  the  Missions  of  the  United 
Brethren  among  the  Delaware  and  Mohegan  Indians,"  and 
of  an  "Account  of  the  History,  Manners  and  Customs  of  the 
Indian  Nations,  who  once  inhabited  Pennsylvania  and  the 
neighboring  States,"  besides  many  other  publications.  He 
died  at  Bethlehem  on  the  31st  of  January,  1823,  aged 
seventy-nine  years,  and  nearly  eleven  months. 

The  influence  of  the  white  settlements  upon  the  Indian 
colony  of  the  Muskingum  was  so  unfavorable,11  that  their 

11)  At  the  session  of  the  Territorial  Legislature  for  1799-1800,  an  act  was 
passed  to  protect  the  Moravian  Indians  from  the  traffic  in  intoxicating 
liquors.  The  missionaries  were  authorized  to  seize  the  same  whenever 
brought  within  the  Schoenbrun  tract,  and  "do  with  it  as  they  should  think 
proper  ;  "  and  Heckewelder  mentions  that  on  one  occasion  "  the  missionary, 
Zeisberger,  although  then  in  his  eightieth  year,  in  his  zeal  for  the  cause  in 
which  he  was  engaged,  took  up  an  axe  and  stove  the  kegs  so  that  the  liquor 
ran  into  the  river."  The  Moravian  annalist  adds,  that  "  although  this  act 
18 


410  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

spiritual  guardians  at  length  induced  Congress  to  adopt  such 
measures  as  would  tend  to  the  removal  of  the  Indians,  and 
enable  the  society  to  divest  itself  of  the  trusteeship  in  the 
land.  On  the  4th  of  August,  1823,  an  agreement  or  treaty 
was  entered  into  at  Gnadenhutten  between  Lewis  Cass,  then 
Governor  of  Michigan,  on  the  part  of  the  United  States, 
and  Lewis  de  Schweinitz,  on  the  part  of  the  Moravian  Mis 
sionary  Society,  as  a  preliminary  step  towards  the  retroces 
sion  of  the  land  to  the  government.  By  this  agreement,  the 
members  of  the  society  relinquished  their  right  as  trustees, 
conditioned  that  the  L^nited  States  would  pay  six  thousand 
six  hundred  and  fifty-four  dollars,  being  but  a  moiety  of  the 
money  they  had  expended.  The  agreement  could  not  be 
legal  without  the  written  consent  of  the  Indians,  for  whose 
benefit  the  land  had  been  donated.  These  embraced  the 
remainder  of  the  Christian  Indians  formerly  settled  on  the 
land,  "including  Killbuck  and  his  descendants,  and  the 
nephews  and  descendants  of  the  late  Captain  White  Eyes, 
Delaware  chiefs."  The  Goshen  Indians,  as  they  were  then 
called,  repaired  to  Detroit  for  the  purpose  of  completing  the 
contract.  On  the  8th  of  November,  they  signed  a  treaty 
with  Governor  Cass,  by  which  they  relinquished  their  right 
to  the  lands,  on  condition  that  Government  would  pay  them 
an  annuity  of  four  hundred  dollars  as  long  as  they  remained 
on  the  River  Thames  in  Canada,  or  in  lieu  thereof,  should 
they  choose  to  return  to  the  United  States,  secure  to  them  a 
reservation  of  twenty-four  thousand  acres. 

The  trustees  could  not,  however,  divest  themselves  of  all 

of  the  missionary  served  as  a  check  on  some  other  disorderly  people  from 
their  making  similar  attempts  of  bringing  liquor  to  the  town,  yet,  upon  the 
whole,  this  act  of  the  Assembly  became  highly  offensive,  and  was  termed  an 
infringement  on  the  rights  and  liberties  of  a  free  and  independent  people: 
and,  consequently,  soon  repealed." 


THE   MUSKINGUM    MISSION.  411 

the  associations  of  the  Muskingum  Mission.  It  is  interest 
ing  to  observe,  that  the  fourth  article  of  the  treaty  secures 
in  perpetuity  to  the  Society  of  United  Brethren,  free  from 
any  condition  or  limitation  whatever,  ';ten  acres  of  ground, 
including  the  church  called  Beersheba,  and  the  grave  yard 
on  the  Gnadenhutten  tract;  also  the  church  lot,  parsonage 
house  and  grave  yard  in  the  town  of  Gnadenhutten, 
and  also  the  missionary  house  and  grave  yard  at  Goshen." 
These  still  constitute  links  between  the  period,  when  the 
message  of  the  cross  was  announced  in  the  depth  of  a  wil 
derness  and  amid  the  horrors  of  border  warfare,  and  the 
passing  era  of  material  development  and  spiritual  privileges.12 

12)  Sec  Appendix  No.  X,  for  this  final  negotiation  with  the  remnant  of 
the  Moravian  congregation. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

EMBASSIES  AND  NEGOTIATIONS  BETWEEN  THE  UNITED  STATES 
AND  THE  OHIO  TRIBES 

THE  student  of  diplomacy,  either  as  an  art  or  in  its  rela 
tion  to  the  events  of  history,  will  find  no  more  suggestive 
field  of  inquiry,  than  is  presented  by  the  negotiations  of  the 
Indian  tribes  of  North  America.  At  the  council  fire,  the 
loftiest  qualities  of  their  character  have  been  conspicuous — 
self-control,  courtesy,  dignity,  eloquence,  and  that  instinctive 
sagacity,  which  is  the  first  requisite  of  statesmanship.  Of 
this,  Jefferson  seemed  conscious,  when  he  triumphantly  rested 
his  defence  of  the  native  race  of  the  American  continent, 
against  Bufibn's  imputation  of  inferiority,  upon  the  terse  and 
touching  speech  of  the  desolate  Cayuga  warrior,  Logan. 

The  present  chapter  will  relate  to  the  negotiations  with  the 
Ohio  Indians,  between  1768  and  the  Territorial  epoch. 

The  American  Revolution  interrupted  the  dreams  of  power 
and  wealth,  in  which  the  leading  spirits  of  the  Middle  Colo 
nies  had  indulged  at  the  consummation  of  the  Treaty  of  Fort 
Stanwix,  on  the  24th  of  October,  1T68.  Sir  William  John 
son,  who  conducted  that  negotiation,  hoped  to  found  a  colony 
south  of  the  Ohio  ;  the  envoys  of  Pennsylvania  exulted  at  the 
extinction  of  the  Indian  title  between  the  Alleghanies  and 
the  Ohio  River,  as  far  north  as  Kittaning  ; 1  while  Virginia 
was  no  less  gratified  by  a  still  more  westward  extension  of 

1 )  The  northwest  corner  of  Cambria  county,  Pennsylvania. 
(412) 


INDIAN  NEGOTIATIONS.  413 

her  territorial  occupation.  Land  speculation  was  the  mania 
of  that  age,  and  the  disbanded  soldiery  of  the  long  wars  with 
France,  desired  the  widest  possible  range  of  selection  in  the 
location  of  their  bounties. 

The  conference  of  Fort  Stanwix  only  transferred  the  claim 
of  the  Six  Nations  of  New  York.  The  Delawares,  who  were 
seated  upon  the  Upper  Ohio,  and  the  Shawanese,  who  had 
formerly  occupied  Kentucky,  and  now  shared  its  range  as  a 
hunting  ground  with  the  Cherokees  and  other  Southern  In 
dians,  were  no  parties  to  the  treaty.  As  has  been  shown,  a 
prominent  cause  of  the  hostilities,  which  were  terminated  by 
Dunmore's  expedition  of  1774,  was  the  dissatisfaction  of  the 
Shawanese  with  the  settlement  of  Kentucky.  The  Delawares 
were  more  willing  to  transfer  their  villages  to  the  w^est  bank 
of  the  Ohio,  for  their  name  implies  former  removals  westward, 
and  experience  had  convinced  them  of  the  futility  of  any 
other  than  a  passive  policy. 

There  is  but  little  doubt,  that  a  condition  of  the  treaty 
between  the  Shawanese  of  the  Scioto  and  Lord  Dunmore, 
besides  the  surrender  of  prisoners  and  plunder,  made  the 
Ohio  River  the  boundary  between  themselves  and  the  whites. 
But  this  agreement  to  abandon  the  lands  south  of  the  Ohio, 
did  not  probably  include  the  Shawanese  warriors  and  hunters 
of  the  Miami  villages ;  and  it  was  only  after  many  bloody 
campaigns,  that  the  whole  tribe  acquiesced  in  a  partition, 
which  was  more  a  trophy  of  conquest  by  the  bold  Kentucki- 
ans,  than  a  treaty  stipulation  on  the  part  of  the  Indians. 

When  Lord  Dunmore  concluded  the  treaty  of  Camp  Char 
lotte,  lie  required  the  delivery  of  four  hostages  by  the  Shawa 
nese,  and  also  detained  twelve  Mingo  prisoners.  The  latter 
were  still  imprisoned  on  the  9th  of  February,  1775,  as,  on 
that  date,  Dr.  John  Connolly  wrote  to  Col.  George  Washing- 


414  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

ton,  asking  what  should  be  done  with  them/-'  The  JShawanese 
hostages  seem  to  have  been  released  in  the  summer,  and 
would  have  been  previously,  if  their  tribe  had  more  promptly 
surrendered  the  white  captives  which  they  held.  A  Will- 
iamsburg  publication  of  Feb.  10,  1775,  mentions  that  a  few 
days  before,  Cornstalk,  the  chief  of  the  Scioto  Shawanese, 
arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Kenawha,  where  a  Capt. 
Russell  was  then  in  command,  and  delivered  to  him  "  several 
of  the  old  white  prisoners,  and  a  number  of  horses." 

On  the  12th  of  July,  1775,  Congress  organized  an  admin 
istration  of  Indian  Affairs.  Almost  simultaneously,  an  envoy 
of  Virginia,  Capt.  James  Wood,  afterwards  Governor  of  that 
State,  was  traversing  Ohio,  having  been  deputized  by  the 
General  Assembly  of  Virginia  to  invite  the  Indian  tribes  to 
a  council  at  Fort  Pitt,  on  the  10th  of  September.  While 
thus  employed,  he  ascertained  that  the  British  commandant 
at  Detroit,  and  one  Mons.  Baubce,  a  Canadian  Frenchman, 
had  distributed  belts  and  wampum  among  seventeen  Western 
tribes,  with  a  message,  that  the  Virginians  were  about  to  in 
vade  their  country  and  attack  them  from  two  directions — by 
the  Ohio  and  by  the  Lakes.  Hamilton's  only  object  in 
making  such  a  statement,  was  to  provoke  a  border  war. 

Capt.  Wood,  on  the  22d  and  23d  of  July,  had  a  satisfac 
tory  interview  with  Newcomer,3  and  other  Delaware  chiefs, 
at  Coshocton  ;  and  on  the  25th,  arrived  at  a  "  Seneca  Town," 
where  he  found  Logan,  with  some  of  the  Mingoes  who  had 
been  prisoners  at  Fort  Pitt.  They  appeared  very  desirous 
to  know  his  errand.  He  called  them  together,  and  made  the 

2)  American  Archives,  fourth  series,  vol.  i.,  p.  1222. 

3)  Netawatwes.     The  details  of  Wood's  journey  are  compiled  from  Amer 
ican  Archives,  fourth  scries,  vol.  iii.,  p.  70 — an  account  dated  August  15, 
1775 — without  change  in  the  names  of  persons  and  places. 


A    VIRGINIA    ENVOY.  415 

same  speech  to  them  as  to  the  Delawares ;  but  their  only 
answer  was,  that  they  would  acquaint  the  rest  of  the  tribe 
with  what  he  had  said.  These  Indians,  Wood  remarks,  ap 
peared  very  angry,  and  behaved  with  great  insolence. 

On  the  27th  of  July,  Capt.  Vfood  had  a  hearing  at  the 
Wyandot  Town.  A  chief,  War  Post,  postponed  a  reply  until 
the  next  day,  when  they  would  meet  him  in  the  Council 
House.  Meanwhile,  War  Post  and  six  others  came  privately 
to  the  Virginian,  "  to  talk  with  him  as  friends,"  they  said. 
They  had  always  understood  the  English  had  but  one  king, 
who  lived  over  the  Great  River ;  they  were  much  surprised 
lately  to  hear  that  there  was  a  war,  and  several  engagements 
at  Boston,  where  a  great  many  men  were  killed  on  both  sides ; 
and  as  they  had  heard  many  different  stories,  they  would  be 
glad  to  know  the  truth.  Capt.  Wood  then  explained  to  them 
the  nature  of  the  dispute,  and  the  general  union  of  the  colo 
nies  :  removing  an  error  into  which  the  Wyandots  had  been 
led,  that  the  Virginians  were  a  distinct  people  from  the  other 
colonies.  On  the  following  day,  War  Post  replied  publicly, 
that  they  had  fully  considered  the  message,  and  thought  it 
good,  but  they  would  be  ruled  in  the  matter  by  their  chiefs 
beyond  Lake  Erie. 

Wood  reached  the  Shawanese  towns  on  the  81st.  Here 
he  found  much  excitement  from  the  alarming  reports  brought 
by  one  Chennsan,  or  the  Judge,  who  had  ju^st  escaped  from 
Williamsburg,  where  he  had  been  detained  as  a  hostage. 
He  said  that  all  the  people  of  Virginia,  except  the  Governor, 
were  determined  on  war  with  the  Indians ;  that  he  had  barely 
escaped  with  his  life,  but  there  was  no  doubt  that  his  fellow- 
hostages,  Cuttenwa  and  Newa,  were  killed.  Capt.  Wood 
was  soon  confronted  with  the  fugitive,  denied  his  whole  story, 
and  assured  the  Shawanese  present  that  Cuttenwa  and  Newa 


416  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

were  on  the  way,  riding  leisurely  back  to  their  towns,  and 
that  Chennsan,  by  his  flight,  had  lost  a  horse,  saddled  and 
bridled,  besides  other  presents.  This  explanation  quieted 
the  crowd,  and  on  the  2d  of  August,  the  Shawanese  were 
likewise  invited  to  the  council  at  Fort  Pitt,  and  responded 
with  pacific  assurances.4 

On  the  return  of  Wood  to  Virginia,  it  was  known  that 
Messrs.  Franklin,  Henry  and  Wilson  had  been  appointed  by 
Congress  Commissioners  of  Indian  Affairs  for  the  Middle 
Department  (including  the  Ohio  tribes),  and  we  presume 
that  it  was  under  their  direction  that  the  conference  at  Fort 
Pitt,  of  September,  1775,  was  held.  Perhaps  Mr.  John 
Gibson,  who  then  represented  the  Virginia  commissioners  at 
that  place,  may  have  held  a  separate  interview  with  the 
chiefs  ;  but  Heckewelder  is  an  authority,  that  the  Delawares 
then  heard  from  the  representatives  of  Congress  the  celebra 
ted  allegory  of  the  oppressive  father  and  his  pack-laden  son. 
This  address  was  forwarded  to  all  the  Indian  tribes  of  the 
country,  and  its  purport  is  apparent  from  a  brief  extract : — 
"  We  desire  you  will  hear  and  receive  what  we  have  now 
told  you,  and  that  you  will  open  a  good  ear  and  listen  to 
what  we  are  going  to  say.  This  is  a  family  quarrel  between 
us  and  Old  England.  You  Indians  are  not  concerned  in  it. 
We  do  not  wish  you  to  take  up  the  hatchet  against  the  king's 
troops.  We  desire  you  to  remain  at  home,  and  not  join  on 
either  side,  but  keep  the  hatchet  buried  deep.  In  the  name 
and  behalf  of  all  our  people,  we  ask  and  desire  you  to  love 
peace  and  maintain  it,  and  to  love  and  sympathize  with  us  in 

4)  The  reader  will  readily  identify  the  localities  visited  by  Wood — first  at 
Coshocton;  two  days  afterwards,  either  near  the  mouth  of  Yernon  River, 
or  at  the  village  on  the  Lake  fork  of  the  Muskingum ;  then  two  days  after 
at  Upper  Sandusky,  and  finally  at  the  Shawanese  villages  within  what  is 
now  Logan  county 


ACTION  BY   CONGRESS.  417 

our  troubles :  that  the  path  may  be  kept  open  with  all  our 
people  and  yours,  to  pass  and  repass  without  molestation." 

It  is  probable  that  in  the  spring  of  1776,  some  confusion 
resulted  from  the  fact  that  Richard  Butler  was  acting  as 
United  States  agent,  and  John  Gibson  as  agent  of  Virginia, 
to  the  Western  Indians :  while  Alexander  McKee,  formerly 
a  deputy  of  the  British  superintendent,  was  still  at  Pittsburgh, 
although  under  parol  "  not  to  transact  any  business  with 
the  Indians  on  behalf  of  the  crown  or  ministry."  On  the 
8th  of  April,  Mr.  Butler  wrote  to  Col.  James  Wilson,  thait 
Guyasotha  (he  calls  him  Kiosola,  but  it  can  be  no  other  than 
the  noted  Seneca  chief  who  lived  on  the  head  waters  of  the 
Ohio,)  had  failed,  in  the  fall  of  1775,  to  carry  a  big  belt 
from  the  United  States  to  the  Western  tribes,  as  he  had 
agreed  to  do.  When  asked  by  Butler  the  reason  for  this 
failure,  Guyasotha  said  that  Captain  Pipe  did  not  meet  him 
at  the  Moravian  town,  nor  had  two  Delawares  joined  him  at 
Wyandot  town,  according  to  the  promises  of  Gibson.  Butler 
also  mentions,  that  Logan  had  threatened  Gibson,  and  that 
the  latter  arrived  on  the  9th  of  April,  with  some  Shawanese 
white  prisoners  and  slaves,  probably  in  further  redemption 
of  Cornstalk's  stipulations  with  Lord  Dunmore,  in  October, 
1774.  Perhaps  Congress  proposed,  by  the  appointment  of 
Col.  George  Morgan  on  the  10th  of  April,  as  Indian  agent 
for  the  Middle  Department,  to  adjust  any  local  jealousy  or 
conflict  of  jurisdiction,  which  might  have  existed  between 
Butler  and  Gibson. 

On  the  date  of  Morgan's  appointment,  Congress  resolved 
— partly  on  the  petition  of  Coquataginta  or  Captain  White 
Eyes,  then  on  a  visit  to  Philadelphia — to  employ  a  preacher, 
a  schoolmaster,  and  a  blacksmith,  to  live  among  the  Delaware 
Indians  in  Ohio ;  to  provide  for  the  entertainment  of  their 


418  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

chiefs  whenever  they  should  visit  Fort  Pitt,  and  that  a  treaty 
should  be  effected  with  the  Indians  to  the  westward  by  the 
Commissioners  of  the  Middle  Department ! 

The  first  letters  of  Col.  Morgan,  after  reaching  Pittsburgh, 
indicated  a  critical  state  of  affairs  on  the  Ohio  frontier.  Under 
date  of  May  16,  he  alludes  to  a  council  of  the  Six  Nations,  then 
being  held  at  Niagara  by  Col.  John  Butler,  a  British  agent, 
from  which  he  apprehended  unpleasant  consequences.  The 
proceedings  at  that  conference  were  well  calculated  to  excite 
alarm.  Nearly  one  hundred  Indians,  representing  the  Six 
Nations  and  u  a  number  of  the  back  nations,"  were  induced 
to  visit  Col.  Guy  Johnson  at  Quebec,  after  pledging  themselves 
to  Butler  to  "support  the  King's  peace  or  government."  Gen. 
Schuyler  wrote,  on  the  17th  of  July,  that  "  one  Cajughsoda, 
from  some  town  toward  the  Ohio,  inveighed  bitterly  against 
Butler,  on  this  occasion,  for  attempting  to  make  the  Indians 
parties  to  the  war."  This  was  undoubtedly  the  Guyasotha, 
who  is  so  prominent  in  the  contemporary  annals  of  the  Alle- 
ghany  region. 

One  William  Wilson  seems  to  have  been  a  trusted  agent 
of  the  United  States  among  the  Ohio  Indians  at  this  time. 
Col.  Morgan  hearing  that  the  Niagara  conference  was  soon 
to  be  followed  by  another  at  Detroit,  which  Governor  Ham 
ilton  would  be  sure  to  manage  with  even  less  scruple  than 
Butler  had  exhibited,  sent  this  Wilson  in  June  to  prevent 
the  attendance  of  the  Shawanese,  until  Morgan  should  visit 
them.  When  the  latter  arrived,  he  was  referred  to  the 
Wyandots  (by  no  means  a  favorable  indication,)  and  in  July, 
Wilson,  accompanied  by  Cornstalk,  a  chief  called  Hardman, 
and  several  others,  started  for  the  Wyandot  towns,  with  a 
message -from  Morgan  inviting  the  Indians  to  a  treaty  at 
Pittsburgh. 


EMBASSY    TO    DETROIT.  419 

This  party  first  proceeded  to  a  small  Shawanese  town, 
about  ten  miles  from  the  principal  towns,  where  they  re 
mained  ten  days.  Hardman  remained  at  this  village,  to 
meet  the  "  Shade"  (another  Shawnee  chief,  who  was  expected 
soon  to  return  from  Niagara,)  while  the  rest  continued  their 
journey  to  Pluggy's  town.5  Here  they  heard  a  rumor  that 
the  Kentuckians  had  killed  two  Shawanese,  and  it  was  after 
wards  ascertained  that  a  party  of  Shawanese  and  Cherokees 
had  killed  two  men,  and  captured  a  woman  on  the  Kentucky 
River.  Immediate  pursuit  Avas  made  by  the  whites:  the 
savages  overtaken :  two  Shawanese  killed,  and  the  woman 
rescued. 

While  at  Pluggy's  Town,  a  French  blacksmith  residing 
there  overheard  the  Mingoes  plotting  to  make  Wilson  and 
one  Joseph  Nicholson  prisoners  and  carry  them  to  Detroit ; 
whereupon  Cornstalk  advised  that  they  should  escape  by 
night  to  Coochocking.  They  did  so,  and  remained  with  the 
friendly  Delawares  eleven  days,  King  Newcomer  (Netawat- 
wes)  dissuading  Wilson  from  going  to  the  Wyandot  Towns. 
Captain  Killbuck  was  sent  thither  with  Col.  Morgan's  invita 
tion,  and  returned  with  a  message  that  the  Wyandots  of 
Sandusky  must  first  consult  their  chiefs  on  the  other  side  of 
the  lake,  but  desired  that  Wilson  should  come  on,  assuring 
him  of  safety.  Accordingly,  Wilson,  the  Delaware  Killbuck, 
and  two  young  men  started,  but  were  turned  back,  after 
going  ten  miles,  by  the  sickness  of  Killbuck.  Captain  White 
Eyes  took  his  place,  and  at  Winganons  Town,  six  miles  from 
Coochocking,  the  party  was  joined  by  the  half-breed,  John 
Montour.  Arrived  at  Detroit,  whither  Montour  piloted  them 

•r>)  We  incline  to  the  opinion  that  Pinny's  Town  was  on  the  west  branch 
of  the  Muskingum,  near  the, junction  with  the  Vcrnon  River,  or  Owl  creek. 
Sec  the  narrative  of  Smith's  captivity,  ante  pp.  82,  SO. 


420  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

"by  a  nearer  way  than  Sandusky,"  Col.  Morgan's  message 
to  the  Wyandots,  "  the  purport  of  which  was  to  ask  their 
assistance  in  brightening  the  chain  of  friendship  with  all  the 
western  tribes  of  Indians,  and  inviting  them  to  a  treaty  to 
be  held  at  Pittsburgh  in  twenty-five  days  from  that  time,  or 
the  2d  of  December,"  was  delivered  with  a  belt  by  Wilson, 
and  was  at  first  favorably  received  by  the  chiefs  assembled 
at  the  Wyandot  village  opposite  Detroit.  As  soon,  however, 
as  governor  Hamilton  heard  of  the  arrival  and  message  of 
the  American  deputies,  he  induced  the  Indians  to  return  the 
belt,  and  at  a  subsequent  council  held  in  Detroit,  addressed 
the  Wyandots  as  follows : 

"  CHILDREN,  I  am  your  father,  and  you  are  my  children. 
I  have  always  your  good  at  heart.  I  am  sent  here  to  repre 
sent  the  great  king  over  the  waters  and  to  take  care  of  you. 
Those  people  from  whom  you  received  this  message  arc  ene 
mies  and  traitors  to  my  king,  and  before  I  would  take  one 
of  them  by  the  hand,  I  would  suffer  my  right  hand  to  be  cut 
off.  When  the  great  king  is  pleased  to  make  peace  with  his 
rebellious  children  in  this  big  island,  I  will  then  give  my 
assistance  in  making  peace  between  them  and  the  Indians." 

"With  that,"  says  Wilson,  "he  tore  the  speech  and  cut 
the  belt  to  pieces,  and  contemptuously  strewed  it  about  the 
council-house."  The  governor  then  made  a  speech  on  a 
tomahawk  belt  in  French  to  the  Wyandots.  Their  chief 
delivered  the  belt  to  the  Cornstalk,  who  was  asked  by  the 
governor  if  he  knew  what  it  meant.  Cornstalk  answered 
that  he  did  not,  and  Hamilton  then  informed  him  that  the 
belt  was  put  into  the  hands  of  the  Wyandots  in  March, 
desiring  them  to  request  the  nations  who  lived  next  the  river 
from  Presque  Isle  downwards,  to  be  watchful,  and  inform  him 
if  any  army  attempted  to  cross  the  Ohio,  but  now  the  belt 


CONFERENCE   AT   PITTSBURGH.  421 

had  a  greater  meaning,  and  referred  Cornstalk  to  the  Wyan 
dots  for  an  explanation.  He  added  that  the  Cherokees  had 
joined  the  general  cause. 

The  Mingoes  present  then  produced  a  black  belt,  which 
they  said  was  received  from  Guy  Johnson,  in  the  spring  of 
1775,  and  intimated  very  clearly  their  hostility  to  the  colo 
nies. 

Hamilton  had  previously  ordered  Wilson  to  return  imme 
diately,  and  he  now  ordered  White  Eyes  "to  leave  Detroit 
before  the  sun  set,  as  he  regarded  his  head."  He  told  him 
"  that  he  knew  his  character  well,  and  so  did  all  the  nations 
present" — adding  "  that  he  would  lose  the  last  drop  of  his 
blood  before  he  would  suffer  any  one  nation  to  come  there 
and  destroy  the  union  which  was  brought  about  by  so  many 
nations." 

The  Half  King  of  the  Wyandots — Pomacan  of  Sandusky — 
was  at  Detroit,  and  while  drinking  with  John  Montour,  ex 
pressed  himself  hostile  to  the  Big  Knives  ;  he  had  accepted 
a  tomahawk  belt  from  Hamilton,  but  believed  that  one  half 
of  the  Wyandots  would  not  join  the  British.  The  Cornstalk 
and  Hardman  avowed  their  concurrence  in  the  sentiments  of 
White  Eyes,  and,  upon  the  whole,  Wilson  returned  to  Coo- 
chocking  and  thence  to  Pittsburgh,  with  a  report  not  so  unfa 
vorable  as  was  apprehended. 

Still,  it  was  not  until  the  last  of  October,  that  the  council 
was  convened  at  Fort  Pitt.  The  commissioners — Messrs. 
Thomas  Walker,  John  Harvey,  John  Montgomery  and  J. 
Yeats — were  in  attendance  early  in  September,  and  on  the 
25th,  wrote  to  a  committee  of  Congress  that  the  frontier  had 
been  alarmed  by  a  rumor  that  fifteen  hundred  Chippewas 
and  Ottawas  were  about  to  rendezvous  at  Tuscarawas,  but 
which  proved  unfounded.  A  letter  from  Col.  Morgan  to  the 


422  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

president  of  Congress,  dated  November  8,  announces  that 
the  Six  Nations,  Delawares,  Muncies,  Mohicans  and  Shawa- 
nese  had  assembled  to  the  number  of  six  hundred  and  forty- 
four,  with  their  principal  chiefs  and  warriors,  and  gave  the 
strongest  assurances  of  peace  and  neutrality.  The  most 
troublesome  band  in  Ohio  was  an  assemblage  of  "Mingo, 
Wyandot  and  Cockanawaga  warriors  at  the  Kispapoo  town, 
(as  they  are  described  by  the  commissioners  in  their  letter 
of  September  25)  the  chief  part  of  whom  consist  of  a  ban 
ditti,  headed  by  one  Pluggy."  Col.  Morgan  thus  describes 
them:  "About  sixty  or  seventy  families,  composed  of  most 
of  the  different  tribes  of  the  Six  Nations,  and  a  few  of  the 
lake  Indians,  but  principally  of  the  Senecas,  who  removed 
from  near  the  mouths  of  Cross  creeks,  on  the  Ohio,  a  few 
years  ago,  and  are  now  seated  on  the  heads  of  the  Scioto,(i 
have  been  the  perpetrators  of  all  the  mischief  and  murders 
committed  on  the  frontiers  of  Virginia  since  the  last  treaty." 
Notwithstanding  their  hostility,  he  writes  that  the  cloud  which 
threatened  to  break  over  the  frontiers  of  Pennsylvania  and 
Virginia,  had  nearly  dispersed,  and  the  winter  of  1776-7, 
passed  in  comparative  quiet. 

We  have  elsewhere  sketched  the  Indian  administration  of 
Col.  George  Morgan,  and  shall  hasten  to  the  consideration 
of  the  more  prominent  negotiations  with  the  Ohio  tribes. 

In  1778,  an  expedition  against  Detroit  was  contemplated, 
and  on  the  17th  of  September,  Andrew  Lewis  and  Thomas 
Lewis,  commissioners  of  the  United  States,  obtained  from 
Captain  White  Eyes,  The  Pipe  and  John  Killbuck,  Jr.,  a 
formal  stipulation  that  the  United  States  might  have  a  free 
passage  through  the  Delaware  country  for  any  expedition 
against  British  posts.  The  treaty  also  contained  an  agree- 

0)  Pinery's  town  was  probably  on  the  Mnskingum. 


TREATY  WITH  THE  DELAWARES.         423 

ment  by  the  United  States  to  construct  a  fort  in  the  Delaware 
country,  and  the  tribe  are  guaranteed  all  territorial  rights  as 
bounded  by  former  treaties. 

There  are  provisions  for  the  mutual  forgiveness  of  offences ; 
of  perpetual  peace  and  defensive  alliance — that  neither  party 
shall  inflict  punishments  on  the  citizens  of  the  other,  without 
a  fair  and  impartial  trial  by  judges  or  juries  of  both  parties, 
as  Congress  and  Delaware  deputies  shall  prescribe — for  the 
delivery  of  criminal  fugitives — that  the  United  States  will 
appoint  an  agent  to  trade  with  the  Delawares  on  the  princi 
ples  of  mutual  interest — and,  finally,  "it  is  further  agreed  on 
between  the  contracting  parties,  should  it  for  the  future  be 
found  conducive  for  the  mutual  interest  of  both  parties,  to 
invite  any  other  tribes  who  have  been  friends  to  the  interest 
of  the  United  States,  to  join  the  present  confederation,  and 
to  form  a  State,  whereof  the  Delaware  nation  shall  be  the 
head,  and  have  a  representative  in  Congress.  Provided, 
nothing  contained  in  this  article  to  be  considered  as  conclu 
sive  until  it  meets  with  the  approbation  of  Congress."7 

The  treaty  is  signed  by  the  commissioners  and  chiefs,  as 
named  above,  in  presence  of  Lachn.  Mclntosh,  Brigadier 
General,  commandant  of  the  western  department ;  Daniel 
Brodhead,  Colonel  of  the  8th  Pennsylvania  regiment;  Wil 
liam  Crawford,  Colonel ;  John  Gibson,  Colonel  13th  Virginia 
regiment ;  A.  Graham,  Brigade  Major ;  Lach.  Mclntosh,  Jr., 
Brigade  Major  ;  Joseph  L.  Finley,  Captain  8th  Pennsylvania 
regiment ;  John  Finley,  Captain  8th  Pennsylvania  regiment. 

It  is  a  sad  commentary  upon  the  beneficent  professions  of 
these  "Articles  of  Agreement  and  Confederation,"  that  Col. 
Morgan,  who  was  absent  in  Philadelphia,  should  write  in  the 
following  January,  that  "there  never  was  a  conference  with 

7)  TTnitod  States  Statutes  at  Large,  vol.  vii ,  p.  M. 


424  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

the  Indians  so  improperly  or  so  villainously  managed,"  and 
that  he  is  "  only  surprised  it  had  not  worse  effects." 

The  friendly  Delaware  chiefs  were  occasionally  the  guests 
of  Congress  at  Philadelphia,  and  their  territorial  claims,  on 
these  visits,  were  very  fluctuating.  In  March,  1776,  Captain 
White  Eyes  thus  defines  the  grant  to  the  Delawares  by  their 
uncles,  the  Wyandots :  "  The  Ohio  River  on  the  south,  the 
west  branch  of  the  Muskingum  and  the  Sandusky  on  the 
west,  Lake  Erie  on  the  north,  and  Presque  Isle  on  the  east;" 
while  on  the  10th  of  May,  1779,  the  Delaware  chiefs  com 
municate  the  boundaries  of  their  country,  "  From  the  mouth 
of  the  Alleghany  River  at  Fort  Pitt,  to  Venango,  and  from 
thence  up  French  creek,  and  by  LeBoeuf,  along  the  old  road 
to  Presque  Isle,  on  the  east ;  the  Ohio  River,  including  all 
the  islands  in  it  from  Fort  Pitt  to  the  Onabache,  on  the 
south ;  thence  up  the  river  Onabache  to  the  branch  Ope- 
comeecah,  and  up  the  same  to  the  head  thereof,  and  from 
thence  to  the  head  waters  and  springs  of  the  most  north 
western  branches  of  the  Scioto  River,  thence  to  the  head 
westernmost  springs  of  Sandusky  River,  thence  down  the 
said  river,  including  the  islands  in  it,  and  the  Little  Lake,  to 
Lake  Erie,  on  the  west  and  northwest ;  and  Lake  Erie  on 
the  north." 

Allusion  has  already  been  made,  with  sufficient  particular 
ity,8  to  the  submission  of  Doonyontat,  a  Wyandot  chief,  and 
Keeslimatsee,  a  chief  of  the  Maginchee,  or  Machacheek  tribe 
of  Shawanese,  to  Col.  Brodhead,  which  occurred  September 
14th,  1779,  at  Fort  Pitt,  on  the  return  of  that  officer  from 
his  -expedition  against  the  Seneca  towns.  The  mediator  on 
that  occasion  was  Kelleleman,  or  Killbuck. 

Very  soon,  there  was  no  room  for  negotiation  with  the 

8)  See  Chapter  xix.,  p.  308. 


TREATY  OF  FORT  STANWIX.  425 

Western  savages.  Except  a  few  Delawares — who  were  be 
come  a  minority  of  the  tribe — the  whole  wilderness  of  Ohio 
succumbed  to  British  influence ;  and  it  wras  not  until  after 
the  peace  of  1783  with  Great  Britain,  that  the  humbled 
tribes,  abandoned  by  their  ally,  rekindled  the  council  fires. 

TREATY  OF  FORT  STANWIX  IN  1784.9 

The  site  of  Rome,  in  New  York,  was  the  scene  of  a  highly 
important  negotiation  between  Oliver  Wolcott.  Richard  But 
ler  and  Arthur  Lee,  commissioners  on  the  part  of  the  United 
States,  and  the  representatives  of  the  Six  Nations,  which 
continued  from  the  3d  to  the  22d  of  October,  when  the  treaty 
was  signed. 

The  attitude  assumed  on  this  occasion  by  the  commission 
ers  was  closely  connected  with  the  history  of  the  West  during 
the  next  twenty  years.  A  full  abstract  of  their  transactions 
will  therefore  be  presented. 

On  the  first  day,  the  commissioners  met  several  of  the 
Indians  from  the  different  nations  at  the  council  place,  and 
announced  their  official  character  and  purpose.  The  usual 
formula  was  varied  so  far  as  to  add,  that  they  proposed  to 
"  give  peace  and  good  counsel  to  those  who  have  been  un 
fortunately  led  astray  by  evil  advisers."  It  was  stated  that 
the  head  men  and  warriors  of  the  Western  nations  wouM 
attend  in  a  few  days,  when  they  would  speak  more  fully. 
Meanwhile,  the  Indians  were  desired  to  "  hearken  to  the  voice 
of  Kayenlaa,  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette,  a  great  man  among 
the  French,  one  of  the  head  warriors  of  the  great  Onondio," 
&c. 

0)  The  following  particulars  of  this  important  negotiation  are  gathered 
from  the  Journal  of  Gen.  Richard  Butler,  preserved  in  that  valuable  histori 
cal  compilation,  Craig's  Olden  Time,  vol.  ii..  p.  404. 


426  HISTORY  OF  OHIO. 

The  reply  of  Kayenthogle,  an  Alleghany  chief  of  the  Sen- 
ecas,  was  dignified  and  courteous,  responding  appropriately 
to  every  topic  of  the  commissioners'  address,  except  the  sug 
gestion,  that  the  Indians  had  been  "  unfortunately  led  away 
by  evil  advisers." 

Most  of  the  time  until  the  llth  of  October,  was  occupied 
by  efforts  to  prevent  the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors  to  the 
Indians.  The  commissioners  directed  Lieut.  John  Mercer, 
who  attended  them  with  a  detachment  of  New  Jersey  troops 
by  resolution  of  Congress,  to  seize  and  store  all  spirituous 
liquors  until  the  conclusion  of  the  treaty.  For  the  execution 
of  this  order,  a  writ  from  a  court  of  Montgomery  county  was 
issued  for  his  arrest,  but  the  commissioners  would  not  suffer 
any  compliance  with  its  mandate. 

Another  collision,  which  might  have  been  more  serious, 
took  place  before  the  Indians  wrere  fully  assembled.  The 
Legislature  of  New  York  had  already  manifested  a  disposi 
tion  to  expel  the  Six  Nations  from  all  the  country  within  the 
bounds  of  the  State,  which  had  not  been  ceded  by  them  pre 
vious  to  the  war.  This  state  of  feeling  had  excited  much 
concern  in  Congress  and  elsewhere,  and  the  commissioners 
were  probably  prepared  for  some  annoyance,  if  not  palpable 
interference,  in  the  discharge  of  their  duties.  In  a  letter  to 
the  President  of  Congress,  dated  Fort  Stanwix,  Oct.  5,  they 
state,  that  notwithstanding  due  notice  to  the  Governor  of 
New  York,  that  he  might  transact  any  business  with  the  In 
dians  under  the  patronage  of  the  United  States,  the  governor 
chose  to  hold  a  separate  treaty  with  the  Six  Nations.  This 
procedure  is  contrasted  with  the  course  of  Pennsylvania, 
whose  commissioners  were  in  attendance,  with  credentials 
and  instructions  entirely  satisfactory  to  the  Continental  com 
missioners. 


TREATY    OF   FORT   STANWIX.  427 

It  happened  that  a  Mr.  Peter  Schuyler  was  present  at 
Fort  Stanwix,  and  soon  attracted  the  attention  of  the  com 
missioners.  He  also  assumed  an  official  character,  and  was 
notified  on  the  6th  of  October  to  desist  from  all  interference 
with  the  Indians.  Schuyler  produced  a  paper  to  the  Secre 
tary  of  the  Commission,  of  which  no  particulars  are  given, 
except  that  it  was  without  seal  or  signature,  and  "  directed 
the  said  Peter  Schuyler,  together  with  one  Peter  Rightman, 
as  an  interpreter,  to  attend  at  Fort  Stanwix  during  the  time 
of  the  Commissioners  of  the  United  States  holding  their  treaty 
with  the  Indians,  to  observe  the  conduct  of  the  said  commis 
sioners,  and  to  oppose  and  frustrate  any  of  their  proceedings 
which  might  eventually  affect  the  interests  of  the  State  of 
New  York."  After  this  discovery,  particular  care  was  taken 
to  include  Messrs.  Schuyler  and  Rightman  in  the  execution 
of  the  liquor  ordinance,  and  to  exclude  them  from  the 
councils. 

On  the  12th  of  October,  the  commissioners  made  an  ad 
dress  to  the  sachems  and  warriors,  in  which  they  asserted 
their  authority  from  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  to 
treat  with  the  Indian  Nations,  and  that  the  latter  should  not 
listen  to  any  overtures  made  by  any  person  or  body  of  men, 
or  by  any  particular  State  not  authorized  by  Congress — ex 
hibited  the  definitive  treaty  between  the  United  States  and 
the  King  of  Great  Britain,  expressing  the  readiness  of  Con 
gress  to  u  give  peace  to  the  Indian  nations  upon  just  and 
reasonable  terms,  and  to  receive  them  into  the  friendship, 
favor  and  protection  of  the  United  States" — called  particular 
attention  to  the  sixth  article,  whereby  the  King  of  Great 
Britain  "renounces  and  yields  to  the  United  States  all  pre 
tensions  and  claims  whatsoever  of  all  the  country  south  and 
west  of  the  great  Northern  Rivers  and  Lakes,  as  far  as  the 


428  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

Mississippi,"  making  no  reservation  in  favor  of  any  Indian 
nation,  but  leaving  those  tribes  to  seek  for  peace  with  the 
United  States,  upon  such  terms  as  the  United  States  shall 
think  just  and  reasonable  ;  and,  after  impressing  upon  them, 
that  the  delivery  of  all  prisoners,  white  and  black,  was  es 
sential  to  any  peace,  the  commissioners  closed  by  asking  the 
tribes  present  at  the  council,  to  propose  such  a  boundary  line 
between  the  United  States  and  themselves,  as  would  be  just 
for  them  to  offer  and  the  United  States  to  accept.  It  was 
intimated  to  the  American  allies — Oncidas,  Tuscaroras,  and 
Caughnewaghas — that  the  foregoing  address  was  not  intended 
for  them. 

At  the  opening  of  the  session,  Capt.  Aaron  Hill,  a  Mo 
hawk,  who  had  just  arrived,  explained  that  his  tribe  had 
received  frequent  messages  from  the  Governor  of  New  York 
to  meet  him  in  council,  but  they  were  unwilling  to  partake  in 
any  but  a  continental  treaty,  and  that  the  message  of  the 
Commissioners  of  the  United  States  had  been  received  so 
recently,  that  it  was  difficult  for  many  to  attend,  and  impos 
sible  to  deliver  the  prisoners  at  this  time,  but  Capt.  Brant 
Avould  instantly  collect  and  send  down  the  latter.  He  added, 
that  numbers  of  their  brothers  to  the  Westward,  the  Wyan- 
dots  in  particular,  had  returned  home,  by  reason  of  the  ad 
vanced  season  of  the  year,  after  coming  as  far  as  Niagara, 
so  that  themselves  and  their  brothers,  the  Shawanese,  were 
only  present. 

Capt.  O'Bail,  or  Cornplanter,  was  then  recognized  by  the 
commissioners  as  authorized  to  transact  all  business  with  the 
United  States  on  behalf  of  six  towns. 

It  was  not  until  the  17th  of  October,  that  the  assembled 
Indians  were  ready  to  reply.  Capt.  Aaron  Hill  first  spoke. 
After  intimating  that  they  could  not  answer  so  fully  and  sat- 


TREATY    OF   FORT    STANWIX.  429 

isfactorily  as  they  might  do,  if  a  copy  of  the  commissioners' 
speech  had  been  furnished  to  them,  allusion  was  made  to  the 
statement,  that  the  council  fire  was  kindled  for  the  purpose 
of  settling  all  differences  and  disputes  between  the  United 
States  and  the  Indian  nations,  the  speaker  begged  attention 
to  the  words  of  the  warriors,  and  thus  proceeded :  "  The 
words  of  the  warriors  are  strong :  they  are  persons  who  have 
so  traveled  through  the  world,  and  borne  all  the  difficulties 
of  the  war,  that  it  is  in  their  power  to  make  a  lasting  peace. 
You  told  us  that  it  was  solely  on  us  to  make  peace,  but  we 
apprehend  that  it  is  mutually  dependent  upon  both  parties. 
I  speak  in  the  name  of  the  Six  Nations,  and  not  only  in  their 
name,  but  also  in  the  name  of  all  the  other  tribes — my  voice, 
therefore,  is  strong — our  minds  are  deep,  and  persevering, 
and  our  wish  to  make  peace  is  great.  We  are  neither 
haughty,  nor  proud,  nor  is  it  our  disposition  ever,  of  our 
selves,  to  commence  hostilities.  Our  adherence  to  our  cove 
nant  with  the  Great  King,  drew  us  into  the  late  war,  which 
is  a  great  proof  to  the  commissioners  of  our  strict  observance 
of  our  ancient  covenant  with  the  white  people  ;  and  you  will 
find  the  same  attachment  to  the  covenant  now  to  be  made,  as 
that  which  signalized  our  conduct  during  the  late  war.  We 
arc  free  and  independent,  and  at  present  under  no  influence. 
We  have  hitherto  been  bound  by  the  Great  King,  but  he 
having  broken  the  chain,  and  left  us  to  ourselves,  we  are 
again  free  and  independent." 

Recapitulating,  without  dissent,  the  points  of  the  commis 
sioners'  speech  in  respect  to  their  exclusive  authority  to  con 
clude  a  treaty,  and  the  terms  of  peace  between  the  United 
States  and  Great  Britain,  the  orator  feelingly  remarked: 
"You  also  assured  us  that  the  Great  King  in  settling  this 
peace  with  the  United  States,  made  no  mention  of  us,  but 


430  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

left  us  to  treat  for  ourselves.  Certainly  the  Great  King  did 
not  look  up  to  that  Great  Spirit,  which  he  had  called  as  a 
witness  to  that  treaty,  otherwise  common  justice  would  not 
have  suffered  him  to  be  so  inattentive,  as  to  neglect  those 
who  had  been  so  just  and  faithful  to  him ;  and  we  think  that 
our  brothers,  the  United  States,  did  not  think  of  the  Great 
Spirit,  otherwise  they  would  have  mentioned  to  the  Great 
King  those  persons  who  had  been  so  faithful  to  him,  when 
they  found  that  he  had  entirely  neglected  them." 

The  speaker  claimed  that  the  Indians  present  were  ade 
quate  to  treat  of,  and  conclude  a  peace,  not  only  on  the  part 
of  the  Six  Nations,  but  also  on  that  of  the  Ottawas,  Chippe- 
was,  Hurons,  Potowatames,  Messasagas,  Miamis,  Delawares, 
Shawanese,  Cherokees,  Chicasaws,  Choctaws,  and  Creeks. 

The  sarcasm  of  the  following  paragraphs — at  least  that  in 
respect  to  the  cession  by  France — is  very  apparent : 

"  You  acquainted  us  that  the  King  of  France  had  ceded 
to  the  United  States  all  claim  and  title  to  any  lands  within 
their  boundary.  We  have  only  to  thank  the  Great  Spirit 
for  putting  it  into  the  mind  of  the  King  of  France  to  make 
this  cession,  as  it  is  well  known  that  he  is  extremely  saving 
of  his  lands,  and  that  the  United  States  are  in  great  want  of 
them. 

"You  informed  us  that  it  was  indispensably  essential  to 
the  making  of  peace,  that  all  the  prisoners  should  be  deliv 
ered  up,  and  that  nothing  could  be  finally  done  therein, 
until  that  should  be  the  case.  We  would  propose  to  the 
commissioners  that  for  this  purpose  they  should  depute  per 
sons  of  their  own  nation  to  go  and  collect  them,  lest  if  it 
should  rest  with  us,  the  commissioners  might  apprehend 
that  they  were  not  all  brought,  and  for  this  purpose  we  will 
give  them  all  the  assistance  in  our  power." 


TREATY   OF   FORT   STANWIX.  431 

On  the  following  day,  the  18th,  Cornplanter  or  Capt. 
O'Bail,  resumed  and  closed  the  speech  on  behalf  of  the  Six 
Nations. 

After  an  unsatisfactory  attempt  to  explain  the  conduct  of 
his  own  tribe,  the  Senecas,  in  joining  the  British,  after  their 
repeated  pledges  to  observe  a  neutrality,  Cornplanter  ap 
proached  the  boundary  question,  which  he  treated  with  con 
summate  tact.  That  entire  portion  is  here  given: 

"Brothers,  Representatives  of  the  Thirteen  United  States: 

"  You  have  allotted  to  me  the  task  of  drawing  a  line  be 
tween  us  to  your  satisfaction.  I  feel  the  weight  of  it:  I 
feel  for  many  of  my  brothers,  who  will  be  left  destitute  of 
any  lands,  and  have  therefore  taken  care  in  my  deliberations 
to  mark  out  that  line  which  wrill  give  peace  to  both  our  minds. 

"I  hope  that  in  our  present  negotiations,  nothing  but 
friendship  will  prevail,  and  I  am  fully  sensible  that  you  will 
never  conduct  yourselves  towards  us,  as  the  King  of  Great 
Britain  has  in  throwing  us  away. 

"Brothers,  Commissioners  of  the  Thirteen  United  States, 
now  hearken: 

"  When  we  shall  have  drawn  the  line  between  us,  what 
ever  shall  remain  within  the  boundary  allotted  to  us,  shall 
be  our  own — it  shall  continue  forever,  as  the  sun  which  rolls 
over  from  day  to  day. 

"Brothers,  Commissioners  of  the  Thirteen  United  States: 

"  Let  us  go  on  with  this  business  of  peace  with  tenderness 
and  caution,  as  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance,  and  should 
what  I  now  say  not  meet  with  a  kind  reception  into  your 
breasts,  it  will  greatly  distress  me,  for  I  who  stand  before 
you  am  a  warrior,  and  should  it  not  meet  your  approbation, 
inform  me  whilst  I  am  here : 

"Brothers,  I  have  several  times  repeated  the  words  to 


432  HISTORY    OP    OHIO. 

proceed  tenderly  in  this  business,  for  I  regard  future  gener 
ations,  and  to  them  I  attend  while  engaged  in  making  peace 
•with  you. 

"Our  fires  will  be  a  considerable  distance  from  each 
other,  when  I  come  to  describe  the  boundary  between  us. 
This  will  tend  to  our  mutual  peace. 

"  I  think,  brothers,  that  we  warriors  must  have  a  large 
country  to  range  in,  as  indeed  our  subsistence  must  depend 
on  our  having  much  hunting  ground,  and  as  it  will  also  bring 
in  money  to  you,  will  tend  to  our  mutual  advantage. 

"Now,  brothers,  I  am  about  to  draw  the  line — this  we 
Senecas  do  of  ourselves,  as  the  land  belongs  solely  to  us. 
Let  it  begin  at  Tioga,  and  run  thence  by  a  straight  line 
inclining  a  little  to  the  North  to  Ohigee,  and  when  it  strikes 
the  River  Ohio,  let  it  go  down  its  stream  to  the  old  boundary 
on  the  Cherokee  River.  As  to  the  territory  westward  of 
that,  you  must  talk  respecting  it  with  the  Western  Nations, 
towards  the  setting  of  the  sun — they  must  consult  of  what 
part  they  will  cede  to  the  United  States. 

"  Brothers,  should  you  approve  of  this  boundary,  you  will 
direct  your  people  not  to  trespass  upon  our  territory,  or  pass 
over  the  line,  and  should  any  of  our  nation  attempt  to  pass 
over,  or  intrude  upon  your  lands — let  us  know  it — we  will 
take  care  to  reprimand  them,  and  prevent  it. 

"  Brothers,  by  this  belt  you  now  see  my  mind.  If  what  I 
have  mentioned  be  approved  of  by  you,  lay  it  along  the  Tioga, 
as  I  have  said — if  not,  I  again  request  you  to  inform  me." 

On  the  20th  of  October,  the  commissioners  replied  to  Hill 
and  Cornplanter.  No  part  of  this  speech  is  omitted  : 

"  SACHEMS  AND  WARRIORS  :  —  We  are  now  going  to  reply 
to  the  answer  you  made  to  our  speech — therefore  open  your 
ears  and  hear. 


TREATY  OF  FORT  STANWIX.  438 

"  You  informed  us  that  your  words  were  not  the  words  of 
the  Six  Nations  only,  but  that  you  were  empowered  to  speak 
for  all  the  western  nations  of  Indians.  This  surprises  us. 
We  summoned  the  Six  Nations  only  to  this  treaty — that 
nations  not  called  should  send  their  voices  hither,  is  extraor 
dinary.  But  you  have  not  shown  us  any  authority,  either  in 
writing  or  by  belts,  for  your  speaking  in  their  names.  With 
out  such  authority,  your  words  will  pass  away  like  the  winds 
of  yesterday  that  are  heard  no  more. 

"You  have  complained  that  we  refused  you  a  copy  of  our 
speech,  which  might  lead  you  into  errors.  When  we  refused 
it  we  gave  our  reason,  which  was  this,  that  having  explained 
our  minds  publicly  and  clearly  to  you  all,  and  given  belts  and 
strings  to  remind  you  of  every  proposition,  we  did  not  choose 
you  to  be  deceived,  and  our  meaning  to  be  misrepresented 
by  the  few  persons  among  you  who  understand  English,  and 
might  have  explained  our  speech,  if  we  had  given  a  copy  of 
it,  as  they  pleased.  We  knew  there  were  such  persons 
among  you  who  wished  to  deceive  you,  and  under  the  direc 
tion  of  those  who  led  you  into  the  war  against  us,  were 
planning  to  mislead  you  again  for  their  own  purposes.  We 
did  not  wish  to  put  you  into  the  power  of  such  persons,  but 
to  clear  your  eyes  and  understandings.  We  explained,  at 
your  desire,  over  and  over  again,  our  speech  to  you,  and  the 
strings  and  belts  which  accompanied  every  part  of  it. 

"You  next  excused  your  having  taken  up  arms  against  us, 
by  alleging  you  were  drawn  into  it  by  your  ancient  covenant 
with  the  king  of  England. 

"  Where  was  your  sense  of  covenants,  when,  after  solemnly 
covenanting  with  us  in  1775,  and  again  as  solemnly  in  1776, 
receiving  our  presents  to  cover  you,  to  comfort  and  to 

strengthen  you — immediately  you  took  up  the  hatchet  against 
19 


484  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

us  and  struck  us  with  all  your  might  ?  Could  you  have  so 
soon  forgotten  your  recent  engagements  with  us,  and  yet  be 
influenced  by  those  long  past  with  the  king  of  England  ? 

"We  asked  you — we  exhorted  you  for  your  own  sakes,  to 
remain  neuter,  though  as  living  on  the  same  ground  with  us, 
we  had  a  right  to  expect  your  assistance  against  all  invaders. 
You  twice  solemnly  covenanted  not  to  join  in  the  war  against 
us — and  without  the  smallest  provocation  on  our  part,  you 
violated  your  covenants  and  spilt  our  blood. 

"  We  should  not  have  called  to  mind  this  conduct,  had  you 
not  attempted  to  justify  it.  You  must  not  deceive  your 
selves,  nor  hope  to  deceive  us.  To  justify  errors  may  lead 
to  a  recommission  of  them,  and  it  will  be  more  safe  and 
honorable  to  repent  of,  than  to  palliate,  a  conduct  which, 
though  mischievous  to  us,  has  been  fatal  to  you,  and  has  left 
you  at  our  mercy. 

"Again,  you  are  mistaken  in  supposing  that  having  been 
excluded  from  the  treaty  between  the  United  States  and  the 
king  of  Great  Britain,  you  are  become  a  free  and  indepen 
dent  nation,  and  may  make  what  terms  you  please.  It  is 
not  so.  You  are  a  subdued  people  ;  you  have  been  overcome 
in  a  war  which  you  entered  into  with  us,  not  only  without 
provocation,  but  in  violation  of  most  sacred  obligations.  The 
Great  Spirit,  who  is  at  the  same  time  the  judge  and  avenger 
of  perfidy,  has  given  us  victory  over  all  our  enemies.  We 
are  at  peace  with  all  \miyou;  you  now  stand  out  alone  against 
our  whole  force. 

"  When  wre  offer  you  peace  on  moderate  terms,  we  do  it  in 
magnanimity  and  mercy.  If  you  do  not  accept  it  now,  you 
are  not  to  expect  a  repetition  of  such  offers.  Consider  well, 
therefore,  your  situation  and  ours.  Do  not  suffer  yourselves 
to  be  again  deceived  so  as  to  raise  our  arm  against  you.  You 


TREATY    OF   FORT   STANWIX.  435 

feel  the  sad  effects  of  having  refused  this  counsel  before — 
beware  how  you  do  it  again. 

"  Compassionating  your  situation,  we  endeavored  to  make 
the  terms  on  which  you  were  to  be  admitted  into  the  peace 
and  protection  of  the  United  States,  appear  to  spring  from 
your  own  contrition  for  what  you  had  done,  rather  than  from 
a  necessity  imposed  by  us.  We  therefore  proposed  to  you 
to  deliver  up  the  prisoners,  and  to  propose  a  boundary  line, 
such  us  it  became  the  United  States  to  agree  to. 

"  On  neither  of  these  points  have  you  given  us  the  smallest 
satisfaction.  You  propose  we  should  deputise  people  of  our 
nation  to  go  and  collect  the  prisoners.  This  you  know  from 
experience  is  impracticable ;  that  it  would  only  provoke 
insults,  and  perhaps  the  murder  of  such  deputation,  by  the 
persons  who  hold  our  fellow  citizens  in  bondage.  You  only 
can  collect  them  ;  you  only  ought  to  collect  them  ;  you  must 
collect  and  deliver  them  up.  Our  words  are  strong,  and  we 
mean  you  should  feel  them.  With  regard  to  the  boundary 
line  you  have  proposed,  the  lands  to  the  northwest  of  it  have 
almost  all  been  sold  already  to  Onas,  and  all  the  land  south 
east  of  it,  to  the  Cherokee  River,  was  sold  by  you  in  the 
year  1T68,  at  this  place,  and  is  all  granted  and  settled  by 
the  white  people. 

"  We  shall  now,  therefore,  declare  to  you  the  condition  on 
which  alone  you  can  be  received  into  the  peace  and  protec 
tion  of  the  United  States.  The  conditions  arc  these  : 

"  The  United  States  of  America  will  give  peace  to  the 
Senecas,  Mohawks,  Onondagas  and  Cayugas,  and  receive 
them  into  their  protection  upon  the  following  conditions : 

"  ARTICLE  1.  Six  hostages  shall  be  immediately  delivered 
to  the  commissioners  by  the  said  nations,  to  remain  in  the 
possession  of  the  United  States  till  all  the  prisoners,  white 


436  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

and  black,  which  were  taken  by  the  said  Senecas,  Mohawks, 
Onondagas  and  Cayugas,  or  by  any  of  them,  in  the  late  war, 
from  among  the  citizens  of  the  United  States,  shall  be  de 
livered  up. 

"  ARTICLE  2.  The  Oneida  and  Tuscarora  nations  shall  be 
secured  in  the  possession  of  the  lands  on  which  they  are  settled. 

"ARTICLE  3.  Aline  shall  be  drawn,  beginning  at  the 
mouth  of  a  creek  about  four  miles  east  of  Niagara,  called 
Oyonwayea,  or  Johnston's  Landing  Place,  upon  the  lake 
named  by  the  Indians  Oswcgo,  and  by  us  Ontario ;  from 
thence  southerly,  in  a  direction  always  four  miles  east  of  the 
carrying  path,  between  lakes  Erie  and  Ontario,  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Tehoseroron,  or  Buffalo  creek,  on  Lake  Erie,  thence 
south  to  the  north  boundary  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania ; 
thence  west  to  the  end  of  the  said  north  boundary ;  thence 
south  along  the  west  boundary  of  the  said  State  to  the  river 
Ohio  ;  the  said  line  from  the  mouth  of  the  Oyonwayea  to  the 
Ohio  shall  be  the  western  boundary  of  the  lands  of  the  Six 
Nations,  so  that  the  Six  Nations  shall  and  do  yield  to  the 
United  States,  all  claims  to  the  country  west  of  the  said 
boundary,  and  then  they  shall  be  secured  in  the  peaceful 
possession  of  the  lands  they  inhabit  east  and  north  of  the 
same,  reserving  only  six  miles  square  round  the  fort  of  Os- 
wego,  to  the  United  States,  for  the  support  of  the  same. 

"  ARTICLE  4.  The  commissioners  of  the  United  States,  in 
consideration  of  the  present  circumstances  of  the  Six  Nations, 
and  in  execution  of  the  humane  and  liberal  views  of  the 
United  States,  upon  the  signing  of  the  above  articles,  will 
order  goods  to  be  delivered  to  the  said  Six  Nations  for  their 
use  and  comfort. 

"  We  shall  make  a  few  remarks  on  these  articles,  though 
the  moderation  and  equity  of  them  are  manifest : 


TREATY   OF    FORT    STANWIX.  437 

"  1st.  It  is  more  than  six  months  since  you  were  informed 
bj  General  Schuyler,  in  the  name  of  Congress,  that  you  must 
deliver  up  all  the  prisoners  before  peace  could  be  granted  to 
you.  Our  message  gave  you  the  same  information,  yet  you 
have  not  delivered  them  up. 

"As  the  delivery  of  them  is  indispensable,  so  you  have 
rendered  hostages  necessary  by  your  delay. 

"  2d.  It  does  not  become  the  United  States  to  forget  those 
nations  who  preserved  their  faith  to  them,  and  adhered  to 
their  cause — those,  therefore,  must  be  secured  in  the  full  and 
free  enjoyment  of  those  possessions. 

"  3d.  The  line  proposed  leaves  as  extensive  a  country  to 
the  remaining  four  nations  as  they  can  in  reason  desire,  and 
more  than,  from  their  conduct  in  the  war,  they  could  expect. 

"The  king  of  Great  Britain  ceded  to  the  United  States 
the  whole;  by  the  right  of  conquest  they  might  claim  the 
'whole.  Yet  they  have  taken  but  a  small  part  compared  with 
their  numbers  and  their  wants.  Their  warriors  must  be 
provided  for.  Compensations  must  be  made  for  the  blood 
and  treasures  which  they  have  expended  in  the  war.  The 
great  increase  of  their  people  renders  more  lands  essential 
to  their  subsistence.  It  is  therefore  necessary  that  such  a 
boundary  line  should  be  settled  as  will  make  effectual  provi 
sions  for  these  demands  and  prevent  any  future  cause  of  dif 
ference  and  dispute. 

"4th.  It  ought  to  be  felt  by  you  as  a  signal  proof  of  the 
magnanimity  of  the  United  States,  that'though  the  present  dis 
tresses  of  most  of  the  Six  Nations  have  been  incurred  by  their 
own  fault  in  fighting  against  them,  yet  they  have  determined 
to  minister  such  relief  to  them  as  is  at  present  in  their  power. 

"  These  are  the  terms  on  which  you  may  obtain  perpetual 
peace  with  the  United  States,  and  enjoy  their  protection. 


438  I-IISTOllY    OF   OHIO. 

"  You  must  be  sensible  that  these  are  blessings  which  can 
not  be  purchased  at  too  high  a  price.  Be  wise,  and  answer 
us  accordingly." 

The  speech  of  Captain  Aaron  Hill,  on  the  21st,  presents 
no  new  points,  and  is  tame  and  unimpressive.  The  written 
proofs  or  belts  of  their  right  to  speak  in  the  name  of  the 
western  tribes,  he  said,  had  been  left  at  the  council  fire  which 
was  burning  among  the  Shawanese,  on  the  river  Miami. 
There  is  a  tradition  that  young  Red  Jacket  boldly  opposed 
the  burial  of  the  hatchet,  and  spoke  with  vehement  eloquence 
against  the  treaty.  When  the  Marquis  De  Lafayette  revisited 
the  United  States,  in  1824-5,  he  met  Red  Jacket  at  Buffalo, 
and  the  General  was  reminded,  by  the  venerable  chief,  of  the 
circumstance  of  their  former  meeting  at  Fort  Stanwix.  This 
is  the  earliest  allusion  to  the  Seneca  orator,  afterwards  so 
widely  renowned. 

But  the  experienced  and  sagacious  Cornplanter  saw  that 
total  banishment,  perhaps  a  bloody  extirpation,  was  the  only 
alternative,  and  his  influence  in  favor  of  the  treaty  prevailed. 
The  motto  of  the  commissioners  was  Voe  Victis — woe  to  the 
vanquished ! 

The  official  publication  of  the  treaty  at  Fort  Stanwix  is 
identical  with  the  proposition  dictated  by  the  commissioners. 
The  sword  of  victory  was  in  the  American  scale,  and  it  was 
signed  without  the  addition  or  diminution  of  a  syllable.  Its 
future  consequences  will  appear  in  the  sequel. 

TREATY  AT  FORT  McINTOSH  IX  1785. 

The  treaty  with  the  New  York  Indians  having  extinguished 
their  western  claims,  measures  were  promptly  taken  to  pre 
scribe  terms  and  boundaries  to  the  Ohio  tribes.  On  the  21st 
of  January,  George  Rogers  Clark,  Richard  Butler  and  Arthur 


TREATY   UP   FORT   M'lNTOSH.  439 

Lcc  met  a  body  of  Indians  at  Fort  Mclntosh,  who  asserted 
themselves  to  be  representatives  of  the  Wyandots,  Delawares, 
Chippewas  and  Ottawas.  We  present  this  document  with 
its  signatures  and  attestation  : 

"  The  Commissioners  Plenipotentiary  of  the  United  States 
in  Congress  assembled,  give  peace  to  the  Wyandot,  Delaware, 
Chippewa,  and  Ottowa  nations  of  Indians,  on  the  following 
conditions : 

ARTICLE  1.  Three  chiefs,  one  from  among  the  Wyandot, 
and  two  from  among  the  Delaware  nations,  shall  be  delivered 
up  to  the  Commissioners  of  the  United  States,  to  be  by  them 
retained  till  all  the  prisoners,  white  and  black,  taken  by  the 
said  nations,  or  any  of  them,  shall  be  restored. 

ARTICLE  2.  The  said  Indian  nations  do  acknowledge 
themselves  and  all  their  tribes  to  be  under  the  protection  of 
the  United  States,  and  of  no  other  sovereign  whatever. 

ARTICLE  8.  The  boundary  line  between  the  United  States 
and  Wyandot  and  Delaware  nations,  shall  begin  at  the  mouth 
of  the  River  Cayahoga,  and  run  thence  up  the  said  river 
to  the  portage  between  that  and  the  Tuscarawas  branch  of 
Meskingum ;  then  down  the  said  branch  to  the  forks  at  the 
crossing  place  above  Fort  Lawrence  [Laurens]  ;  then  west 
erly  to  the  portage  of  the  Big  Miami,  which  runs  into  the 
Ohio,  at  the  mouth  of  which  branch  the  fort  stood  which  was 
taken  by  the  French  in  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty- 
two  ;  then  along  the  said  portage  to  the  Great  Miami  or  Ome 
River,  and  down  the  southeast  side  of  the  same  to  its  mouth ; 
thence  along  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  to  the  mouth  of 
Cayahoga,  where  it  began. 

ARTICLE  4.  The  United  States  allot  all  the  lands  con 
tained  within  the  said  lines,  to  the  Wyandot  and  Delaware 
nations,  to  live  and  to  hunt  on,  and  to  such  of  the  Ottowa 


440  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

nation  as  now  live  thereon :  saving  and  reserving  for  the 
establishment  of  trading  posts,  six  miles  square  at  the  mouth 
of  Miami  or  Ome  River,  and  the  same  at  the  portage  on  that 
branch  of  the  Big  Miami  which  runs  into  the  Ohio,  and  the 
same  on  the  Lake  of  Sanduske  where  the  fort  formerly  stood, 
and  also  two  miles  square  on  each  side  of  the  lower  rapids 
of  Sanduske  River,  which  posts,  and  the  lands  annexed  to 
them,  shall  be  to  the  use,  and  under  the  Government  of  the 
United  States. 

ARTICLE  5.  If  any  citizen  of  the  United  States,  or  other 
person  not  being  an  Indian,  shall  attempt  to  settle  on  any  of 
the  lands  allotted  to  the  Wyandot  and  Delaware  nations  in 
this  treaty,  except  on  the  lands  reserved  to  the  United  States 
in  the  preceding  article,  such  person  shall  forfeit  the  protec 
tion  of  the  United  States,  and  the  Indians  may  punish  him 
as  they  please. 

ARTICLE  G.  The  Indians  who  sign  this  treaty,  as  well  in 
behalf  of  all  their  tribes  as  of  themselves,  do  acknowledge 
the  lands  east,  south  and  west  of  the  lines  described  in  the 
third  article,  so  far  as  the  said  Indians  formerly  claimed  the 
same,  to  belong  to  the  United  States  ;  and  none  of  their  tribes 
shall  presume  to  settle  upon  the  same  or  any  part  of  it. 

ARTICLE  7.  The  post  of  Detroit,  with  a  district  begin 
ning  at  the  mouth  of  the  River  Rosine,  on  the  west  end  of 
Lake  Erie,  and  running  west  six  miles  up  the  southern  bank 
of  the  said  river,  thence  northerly  and  always  six  miles  west 
of  the  strait,  till  it  strikes  the  Lake  St.  Glair,  shall  be  also 
reserved  to  the  sole  use  of  the  United  States. 

ARTICLE  8.  In  the  same  manner,  the  post  of  Michilli- 
machinac  with  its  dependencies  and  twelve  miles  square 
about  the  same,  shall  be  reserved  to  the  use  of  the  United 
States. 


441 

ARTICLE  9.  If  any  Indian  or  Indians  shall  commit  a 
robbery  or  murder  on  any  citizen  of  the  United  States,  the 
tribe  to  which  such  offenders  may  belong,  shall  be  bound  to 
deliver  them  up  at  the  nearest  post,  to  be  punished  according 
to  the  ordinances  of  the  United  States. 

ARTICLE  10.  The  commissioners  of  the  United  States, 
in  pursuance  of  the  humane  and  liberal  views  of  Congress, 
upon  this  treaty's  being  signed,  will  direct  goods  to  be  dis 
tributed  among  the  different  tribes  for  their  use  and  comfort. 

SEPARATE  ARTICLE. — It  is  agreed  that  the  Delaware 
chiefs,  Kelelarrand,  or  lieutenant-colonel  Henry  [alias  Kill- 
buck,]  Hengue  Pushees  or  the  Big  Cat,  Wicocalind  or  Cap 
tain  White  Eyes,  who  took  up  the  hatchet  for  the  United 
States  and  their  families,  shall  be  received  into  the  Dela 
ware  Nation,  in  the  same  situation  and  rank  as  before  the 
war,  and  enjoy  their  due  portion  of  the  lands  given  to  the 
Wyandot  and  Delaware  Nations  in  this  treaty,  as  fully  as  if 
they  had  not  taken  part  with  America,  or  as  any  other  per 
son  or  persons  in  the  said  nations : 

GEO.  CLARK,  TALAPOXIE, 

RICHARD  BUTLER,  WINGENOI, 

ARTHUR  LEE,  PACKELAXT, 

DAUNGHQUAT,  GINGEWAXNO, 

ABRAHAM  KUHN,  WAANOOS, 

OTTAWERRERI,  KONALAWASSEE, 

HOBOCAN,  SHAWXAQUM, 

WALENDIGHTUN,  QUECOOKIA. 

WITNESS. — Samuel  J.  Atlee,  Francis  Johnston,  Commis 
sioncrs  of  Pennsylvania ;  Alexander  Campbell ;  Joseph  liar 
mar,    Colonel    Commandant;    Alexander   Lowrey;    Joseph 
Nicholas,  interpreter:  J.Bradford;  George  Slaughter;  Van 
Swearingen;  John  Boggs;  G.  Evans;  D.  Luckett."10 

10)  U.  S.  Statutes  at  Large,  vol.  vii.,  p.  16. 


442  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

Of  the  Indian  names  signed  to  this  treaty,  Daunnghquat 
was  the  Wyandot  chief  who  negotiated  with  Col.  Brodhcad 
at  Fort  Pitt  in  1779;  Abraham  Kuhn  was  a  Wyandot  from 
Lower  Sandusky,  mentioned  by  Ilecke  welder  as  engaged  in 
the  removal  of  the  Moravians  in  1781,  from  the  Muskingum 
to  the  Sandusky:  "Hobocan"  was  the  Indian  name  of  Cap 
tain  Pipe :  Talapoxie  we  suppose  to  be  the  friendly  Delaware 
chief  called  Tetepachksi  by  Heckewelder ;  Wingenum  was 
also  a  Delaware  ;  and  Packelant  may  have  been  the  same  as 
the  Paekgantschihilas  of  Heckewelder's  Narrative,  or  our 
favorite  Bockengehelas.  The  other  names  are  not  recogniza 
ble — probably  Chippewas  and  Ottawas. 

TREATY  OF  FORT  FIXXEY  IX  1786. 

In  pursuance  of  a  resolution  of  Congress,  March  18th, 
1785,  preparations  had  been  made  to  hold  a  treaty  with  the 
Wabash  Indians  at  Fort  Vincent,  (now  Vinccnnes)  on  the 
20th  of  June,  1785,  but  these  tribes  were  impracticable, 
and  by  a  resolution  of  the  29th  of  June,  the  place  was 
changed  to  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Miami,  and  the  time  post 
poned  until  January,  1786.  The  conference  was  finally 
held  at  Fort  Finney — a  post  established  for  the  occasion  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  Great  Miami  at  its  junction  with  the 
Ohio — by  George  Rogers  Clark,  Richard  Butler  and  Samuel 
H.  Parsons,  Commissioners  of  the  United  States,  and  the 
Shawanese  Indians. 

The  journal  of  General  Butler,  while  engaged  upon  the 
mission,  has  recently  been  published,11  and  a  summary  of  its 
contents  will  best  reflect  the  posture  of  affairs,  and  the  aspect 
of  the  frontier,  as  well  as  the  dispositions  of  the  savages,  at 
that  period.  Its  author,  originally  a  trader  of  Pittsburgh, 

11)  Craig's  Olden  Time,  vol.  ii,  p.  431. 


TREATY    OF   FORT   FINNEY.  443 

distinguished  himself  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  enjoyed 
in  a  high  degree  the  confidence  of  Washington,  and  sealed  his 
devotion  to  the  country,  by  the  sacrifice  of  his  life  on  the 
bloody  field  of  St.  Glair's  defeat.  Having  borne  a  part  in 
the  negotiations  which  resulted  in  the  treaties  of  Forts  Stan- 
wix  and  Mclntosh,  he  left  his  residence  in  Carlisle,  Pennsyl 
vania,  on  the  9th  of  September,  1785,  on  a  service  in  all 
respects  more  arduous  and  uncertain.  General  Butler  was 
accompanied  until  the  llth  of  October,  and  as  far  as  Lime 
stone,  now  Maysvillc,  on  the  Ohio  River,  by  Colonel  James 
Monroe,  then  a  member  of  Congress  from  Virginia,  and  after 
wards  President  of  the  United  States. 

On  the  27th  of  September,  Butler  caused  three  boats  to 
be  loaded  with  goods  for  the  treaty,  and  one  large  scow  with 
provisions  for  the  troops  that  were  to  join  him  at  Fort  Mcln 
tosh,  and  started  for  the  mouth  of  Beaver — the  site  of  that 
post — where  he  arrived  next  day.  Here  he  found  the  de 
tachment  in  readiness  (its  strength  is  not  mentioned),  and 
before  again  embarking,  prepared  and  left  a  paper  with  Col. 
Harmar,  the  commandant,  in  which  the  opinion  was  expressed 
that  the  "  mouth  of  the  Muskingum  would  be  a  proper  place 
for  a  post  to  cover  the  frontier  inhabitants,  prevent  intruding 
settlers  on  the  lands  of  the  United  States,  and  secure  the 
surveyors."  At  the  west  line  of  Pennsylvania,  then  being 
run  by  David  Rittenhouse  and  his  assistants,  the  party  met 
Thomas  Hutchins,  the  geographer  of  the  United  States,  and 
a  corps  of  surveyors.  "  They  had  made  a  beginning,"  says 
Butler,  "  at  right  angles  on  the  Pennsylvania  line  at  the  post 
set  up  by  Mr.  Rittenhouse,  and  had  gone  on  westward  six 
miles,  the  breadth  of  one  range  of  townships,  on  which  Capt. 
Martain  begins  to-morrow  (October  1,)  having  won  it  by 
lots :  the  other  gentlemen  will  follow  in  rotation,  and  some 


414  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

are  very  anxious  to  get  to  business.  The  gentlemen  were 
very  polite  and  seemed  happy  to  see  us.  Capt.  Hutchins 
had  a  very  good  dinner  ready,  which  we  partook  of  with  great 
pleasure,  as  it  was  with  a  set  of  gentlemen  who  are  the  first 
at  work  on  a  fund  which  will  eventually,  and  I  think  in  a 
short  time,  extinguish  the  debt  of  the  United  States,  and  fix 
a  permanent  prosperity  on  legal  right,  for  millions  of  people." 

There  was  some  discord  among  the  gentlemen  of  this  sur 
veying  party,  as  afterwards  transpired  in  their  private  inter 
views  with  Butler,  which  the  latter  labored  to  assuage.  He 
also  found  Captain  Hutchins  apprehensive  of  the  safety  of 
his  company,  unless  the  Indian  chiefs  should  personally  assure 
him  of  their  good  will. 

From  Yellow  Creek  to  Cross  Creeks — the  present  front  of 
Jefferson  county  on  the  Ohio  Kiver — Butler  was  often  ashore 
to  warn  off  settlers  upon  the  right  bank  of  the  Ohio.  lie 
notified  them  that  "  Congress  was  determined  to  put  all  the 
people  off  the  lands,  and  that  none  would  be  allowed  to  settle 
but  the  legal  purchasers,  and  that  these,  and  these  only,  would 
be  protected  :  that  troops  would  be  down  next  week,  who  had 
orders  to  destroy  every  house  and  improvement  on  the  north 
side  of  the  river,  and  that  garrisons  would  be  placed  at  Mus- 
kingum  and  other  places,  and  that  if  any  person  or  persons 
attempted  to  oppose  Government,  they  might  depend  on 
being  treated  with  the  greatest  rigor."  Certainly  a  short 
method  with  squatters. 

Wheeling,  in  1785,  is  thus  noticed :  "  This  is  a  fine  set 
tlement,  and  belongs  to  one  Zanc ;  an  Island  which  is  oppo 
site  the  mouth  of  Wheeling  Creek,  containing  about  400  acres 
of  most  excellent  land,  and  is  a  situation  not  only  of  great 
profit,  but  real  beauty.  He  says  he  sells  to  amount  of  .£300 
per  annum  of  the  produce  of  his  farm  for  cash,  exclusive  of 


445 

the  other  advantages  by  traffic.  He  is  an  intelligent  man, 
but  seems  either  timid  through  real  doubt  or  affects  it  through 
design." 

General  Butler  visited  and  describes  the  antiquities  at 
Grave  Creek.  "  The  Grave  is  an  extraordinary  pile  of  human 
bones  covered  with  earth.  It  is  about  sixty  feet  perpendicular 
high,  and  about  one  hundred  eighty  feet  in  diameter  at  the 
base  ;  a  conical  figure,  with  large  trees  on  its  sides  and  top, 
where  is  one  of  three  feet  in  diameter.  Supposing  the 
annual  growth  one-tenth  of  an  inch,  it  is  one  hundred  and 
eighty  years  old  ;  how  long  its  sides  were  naked  may  be 
supposed  fifty  years,  as  these  kinds  of  mounds  do  not  produce 
trees  so  soon  as  the  land  which  is  on  a  level  with  the  country 
round.  There  are  two  small  forts,  which,  with  the  Grave, 
form  a  triangle.  Near  one  of  these  forts  arc  three  large 
holes,  which  appear  to  have  been  places  of  deposit  for  provis 
ions.  About  one-fourth  of  a  mile  from  these,  forming  an 
angle  of  about  twenty-five  degrees,  is  a  large  fort  which  the 
owner  of  the  land  has  begun  to  plow  up,  where  they  find 
pieces  of  earthen  kettles,  arrow  points  and  stone  tomahawks, 
all  marks  of  savage  antiquity." 

From  Muskingum  (where  a  letter,  recommending  the  site 
of  the  fort  at  a  point  on  the  Ohio  side,  was  "  left  fixed  to  a 
locust  tree")  to  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Kenawha,  the  jour 
nal,  beyond  the  ordinary  incidents  of  a  voyage,  dwells  upon 
the  beauty  and  fertility  of  the  bottoms,  and  the  abundance 
of  wild  game,  pouncing  occasionally  upon  a  luckless  squatter. 
On  reaching  the  Great  Kenawha,  Gen.  Butler  digresses  into 
a  town-lot  speculation.  It  was  a  common  impression  then, 
that  by  the  James  River  or  Potomac,  and  the  Kenawha,  the 
Muskingum  or  the  Cuyahoga,  the  great  commercial  avenue 
between  the  lakes  and  tidewater  would  be  established,  and 


446  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

the  confluence  of  the  Kcnawha  and  Ohio,  seemed  clearly  in 
dicated  as  the  site  of  a  flourishing  city.  Here  Butler  met 
"  young  Col.  Lewis,  a  most  sensible  young  gentleman,  very 
interesting  and  communicative."  They  dined  together — Col. 
Lewis  being  "  treated  with  attention,  who  received  it  very 
politely.  I  inquired,"  Butler  continues,  "  if  they  did  not 
intend  to  lay  out  a  town  at  the  point  [Point  Pleasant,  proba 
bly]  :  he  told  me  it  was  laid  out  and  the  lots  generally  sold, 
but  if  I  wanted  a  lot,  or  more,  I  might  still  be  supplied,  as 
many  of  the  lots  were  forfeited.  I  told  him  I  would  pur 
chase,  on  which  we  went  to  look  over  the  ground ;  and  he 
took  me  up  the  Ohio  bank  to  a  fine  dry  lot  which  fronts  the 
street  on  the  river  Ohio,  a  street  that  runs  at  right  angles 
from  the  river  and  the  main  street,  or  first  parallel  street 
with  the  Ohio,  which  gives  it  three  fronts,  being  west,  north, 
and  east.  This  I  agreed  for."  Butler  also  purchased  a  lot 
fronting  on  the  Kenawha.  The  prices  were  "  ten  pounds  for 
front  lots  on  each  river,  five  pounds  the  first  back  lots,  and 
four  pounds  the  further  back." 

As  the  voyage  continued,  the  enthusiasm  of  the  journalist 
becomes  irrepressible.  "  This  delightful  country,"  he  writes 
on  the  13th  of  October,  "  involuntarily  draws  from  my  pen 
praises :  it  is  fine,  it  is  rich,  and  only  wants  the  cultivating 
hand  of  man  to  render  it  the  joyous  seat  of  happy  thousands. 
Here  are  the  wild  animals  provided  for  the  assistance  of  the 
first  settlers.  Here  are  the  finest  and  most  excellent  sites 
for  farms,  cities  and  towns.  This  seems  provided  as  a  reward 
for  the  adventurous  and  industrious,  by  the  Divine  hand, 
whose  good  providence  appears  in  all  his  works.  Here  we 
have  nothing  to  do  but  spring  from  our  boats  among  flocks 
of  turkeys,  kill  as  we  please,  for  sport  or  gust ;  the  bear 
growls  in  your  hearing,  and  the  deer,  timid  by  nature, 


GENERAL  BUTLER'S  JOURNAL.          447 

bounds  along  before  your  eye ;  in  short,  there  is  no  end 
to  the  beauty  and  plenty.  I  have  just  stepped  from  my  boat 
and  killed,  at  one  shot,  two  fine  turkeys ;  and  our  whole 
party  feasts  on  fine  venison,  bear  meat,  turkeys  and  cat-fish, 
procured  by  themselves,  at  pleasure." 

Passing  a  river  below  Guyandot,  which  is  the  most  south 
erly  point  between  Fort  Pitt  and  sixty  miles  below  the  Great 
Miami,  Butler  called  it  South  Eiver,  and  then  adds  :  "  Near 
the  mouth  of  Big  Sandy,  Mr.  Zanc  (Isaac  Zane,  who  had 
accompanied  the  party  from  Wheeling)  killed  a  fine  buffalo." 

The  following  description  evidently  refers  to  the  vicinity 
of  Ironton,  Lawrence  county :  "  About  ten  miles  below  Big 
Sandy  Creek,  is  a  hill  on  the  north  side  with  fine  trees  on  it: 
there  also  a  body  of  rocks  appears  with  a  southeast  front, 
below  which,  about  five  miles,  opposite  to  a  large  sand  bar  on 
the  south  side  of  the  river,  is  an  old  Indian  town  and  grave, 
where  we  encamped.  It  is  a  body  of  as  fine  land  as  I  have 
seen,  and  well  worthy  attention ;  indeed,  there  are  on  both 
sides  of  the  river  fine  lands :  here  Mr.  Zane  killed  three 
buffalo,  one  of  which  seems  to  be  a  real  curiosity  for  size. 
Several  of  the  gentlemen  went  to  see  it,  viz:  Lieut.  Smith, 
Lieut.  Doyle  and  Mr.  Peebles  ;  they  brought  with  them  the 
head  and  one  of  the  shoulders,  with  the  whole  leg  to  it.  The 
head  weighed  one  hundred  and  twenty-nine  pounds,  and  the 
tongue  six — total,  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  pounds.  The 
head  was  cut  off  as  close  as  possible,  or  at  the  large  joint,  so 
that  the  neck  was  but  a  small  addition  to  the  weight.  The 
leg  and  shoulder,  when  set  upright,  was  as  high  as  my  head, 
which  is  five  feet  eight  and  a  half  inches  :  this,  when  on  the 
body,  including  that  extraordinary  protuberance  called  the 
hump,  Mr.  Zane  assured  me,  is  higher  than  his  head,  which 
is  six  feet  (eighteen  hands) :  and  it  was  agreed  by  all  who 


448  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

saw  this  amazing  wild  animal,  that  it  weighed  at  least  fifteen 
hundred  pounds.  Part  of  the  beef  of  these  fine  animals  was 
delivered  to  the  troops,  and  part  salted  for  future  use. 

"  I  cannot  help  here  describing  the  amazing  plenty  and 
variety  of  this  night's  supper.  We  had  fine  roast  buffalo 
beef,  soup  of  buffalo  beef  and  turkeys,  fried  turkeys,  fried 
cat-fish,  fresh  caught,  roast  ducks,  good  punch,  madeira, 
claret,  grog  and  toddy,  and  the  troops  supplied  in  the  most 
abundant  manner.  They  are  all  cheerful,  and  generally  in 
perfect  health,  and  enjoying  the  bounties  of  heaven,  the  land 
and  the  water.  The  industry  and  judgment  of  one  man 
could  certainly  supply  many  families.  Mr.  Zane  killed  this 
day,  on  the  lowest  computation,  three  thousand  weight  of  as 
fine  beef  as  need  be  used,  all  in  about  four  hours'  hunting." 

There  is  special  mention  of  "  that  sweet  and  delightful 
little  river  Sciota,  whose  charming  banks  are  not  only  beau 
tiful  to  a  wonder,  but  the  richest  and  most  luxuriant  soil." 
Here  he  was  "  alarmed  by  a  prodigious  gust  of  wind,  which 
caused  a  great  and  extraordinary  fog,  that  smelt  of  sulphur." 

Next  morning,  Oct.  17,  they  passed  the  mouth  of  Scioto, 
and  twenty-four  miles  below,  reached  Buffalo  Lick  Creek, 
where  the  indefatigable  Zane  was  soon  in  successful  pursuit 
of  a  drove  of  buffaloes,  killing  a  fine  one. 

Limestone,  or  Maysville,  is  described  as  containing  "  about 
fifteen  good  cabins  for  families,  kitchens,  &c.,  included,  and 
about  twenty-five  houses,  with  a  good  wagon  road  to  Lexing 
ton  and  other  places."  Here  information  was  received  that 
Gen.  Clark,  one  of  the  commissioners,  was  at  the  Miami  with 
a  number  of  troops,  and  that  some  of  the  messengers  had 
arrived,  accompanied  by  a  few  Indians. 

The  allusions  to  the  vicinity  of  Cincinnati,  are  dimly  pro 
phetic  :  "  About  three  o'clock  (Oct.  21),  passed  the  mouth 


TREATY    OF   FORT   FINNEY.  449 

of  the  Little  Miamis.  About  two  miles  below  is  a  piece  of 
high  ground,  which,  I  think,  will  be  the  site  of  a  town.  ' 
Pushed  on  to  the  mouth  of  Licking  Creek,  which  is  a  pretty 
stream :  at  the  mouth,  both  above  and  below,  are  very  fine 
bottoms.  The  bottom  below  the  mouth  seems  highest  and 
most  fit  to  build  a  town  on ;  it  is  extensive,  and  whoever 
owns  the  bottoms  should  own  the  hill  also.  Passed  this  at 
five  o'clock,  and  encamped  two  miles  below  on  the  north 
side." 

General  Butler  arrived  at  the  Great  Miami  on  the  22d  of 
October,  and  found  General  Clark  at  a  station,  (defined  as 
"  a  few  families  collected  for  mutual  safety  to  one  place,  and 
a  little  fort  erected,")  a  short  distance  below,  on  the  Ken 
tucky  side  ;  but  it  was  not  until  the  18th  of  November  that 
their  colleague,  General  Parsons,  arrived.  Fully  two  months 
elapsed  before  the  Shawanese  could  be  induced  to  attend  the 
council.  Meanwhile,  "  four  block  houses  and  quadrangular 
work"  were  constructed  under  the  superintendence  of  Major 
W.  Finney,  (by  whose  name  they  were  designated,)  on  the 
Ohio,  above  the  mouth  of  Miami.  Excursions  were  made  by 
the  leaders  of  the  party  to  Big  Bone  Lick  and  the  falls  of 
the  Ohio ;  and  at  Louisville,  Butler  found  the  people  engaged 
"  in  selling  and  buying  lots  in  the  back  streets,  but  not  liking 
the  situation,  bought  none." 

J  O 

There  was  no  considerable  arrival  of  Indians  until  the  18th 
of  November,  when  fifty  Wyandots,  ten  Delawares  and  ten 
Shawanese  approached  the  fort.  The  Wyandot  camp  was 
on  the  banks  of  the  Miami,  about  three  miles  north  of  Fort 
Finney.  Thenceforth,  private  interviews,  accompanied  by 
presents,  frequently  occurred  with  the  Half  King  and  Crane 
of  the  Wyandots  ;  with  Wingenum,  Pipe,  White  Eyes,  (a  son 
of  the  celebrated  Indian  so  called,)  old  Abraham,  (probably 


450  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

Kulm,)  who  were  Delawares,  and  John  Harris  and  Micanim- 
sica,  Shawanese.  It  transpired  that  Simon  Girty  and  one 
Robert  Suphlet,  (cousin  to  the  well-known  British  agent, 
Alexander  McKec,)  were  then  in  the  Shawanese  towns, 
using  every  persuasion  to  prevent  an  attendance  at  the  con 
ference.  Their  labors  proved  so  far  successful,  that  another 
month  elapsed  without  any  further  arrival  of  Shawanese, 
except  "  the  Grenadier  Squaw's  daughter,  Fanny,  (Corn 
stalk's  niece)  and  her  brother  Morgan,  with  one  other  Shaw- 
nee  man  and  woman."  At  length,  on  the  27th  of  December, 
Captain  Wingenum,  (chronicled  by  Butler  as  "  old,  experi 
enced  and  sensible  ")  was  sent  to  the  nations  with  a  final  mes 
sage  of  invitation.  This  embassy  seems  to  have  been  effective, 
for,  on  the  14th  of  January,  one  hundred  and  fifty  Shawanese 
men,  and  eighty  women,  were  received  with  due  ceremony 
by  the  commissioners  and  the  garrison.  The  formal  recep 
tion  of  this  "  proud  little  nation  "  is  thus  described.  "  The 
oldest  chief  leads,  and  carries  a  small  drum,  on  which  he 
beats  time  and  sings ;  two  young  warriors,  who  dance  well, 
carry  each  the  stem  of  a  pipe  painted  and  decorated  with 
feathers  of  the  bald  eagle  and  w^ampum  ;  these  are  joined 
in  the  dance  by  several  other  young  men,  wrho  dance  and 
keep  time  to  the  drum — the  whole  of  the  party  painted  and 
dressed  in  the  most  elegant  manner,  in  their  way,  which  is 
truly  fantastic,  but  elegant  though  savage.  The  chief  who 
headed  this  party  is  called  Melonthe.  These  were  followed 
by  the  chief  warrior,  Aweccauny,  and  last,  the  wTarriors 
armed ;  then  came  the  headwoman,  called  Ca-we-chile,  in 
front  of  all  the  women  and  children.  When  they  came  near 
the  council  house,  Aweecauny  got  on  a  stump  and  ordered 
the  whole  to  halt.  They  then  sung  for  some  time,  wrhen  he 
gave  a  signal  and  the  song  ceased.  He  then  ordered  the 


TREATY  OF  FORT  FINNEY.  451 

armed  men  to  make  ready,  which  they  did ;  then  to  fire, 
which  was  performed  in  the  Indian  style  of  a  running  fire. 
This  was  repeated  three  times,  on  which  our  troops  returned 
the  salute  with  three  vollies  from  a  platoon,  wrell  performed, 
the  drum  beating  an  American  march.  We  then  entered  the 
council  house  and  took  our  seats ;  they  then  arrived,  and 
after  dancing  a  short  time  at  the  door,  by  way  of  salute, 
they  entered  at  the  west  door,  the  chiefs  on  our  left,  the 
warriors  on  our  right  and  round  on  the  easj;  end  till  they 
joined  the  chiefs — the  old  chief  beating  the  drum,  and  the 
young  men  dancing  and  waving  the  feathers  over  us,  whilst 
the  others  were  seated.  This  done,  the  wTomcn  entered  at 
the  east  door,  and  took  their  seats  on  the  east  end  with  great 
form.  This  over,  the  chief  inquired  who  were  the  commis 
sioners,  which  the  young  warrior,  John  Harris,  told  them, 
and  pointed  us  out.  After  a  short  song,  the  chiefs  called  on 
Ke-kewepellethe,  a  Wagatommochie  man,  who  immediately 
rose  to  address  us.  His  speech  was  short,  but  pathetic  and 
sensible.  He  said,  that  in  consequence  of  our  invitation 
they  had  come  to  our  council  fire — that  they  had  also  brought 
their  women  and  children — that  they  had  shut  their  ears 
against  all  that  advised  them  not  to  come,  and  now  stood 
before  us.  They  hoped,  on  our  part,  we  would  also  shut  our 
ears  against  evil  stories,  and  banish  from  our  memory  every 
evil  impression ;  that  they  cleared  our  ears,  wiped  our  eyes, 
and  with  the  strings  of  wampum  removed  all  sorrow  from  our 
hearts.  They  hoped,  therefore,  we  would  be  strong,  pity 
their  women  and  children,  and  go  on  with  the  good  work  of 
peace,  and  suffer  no  evil  reports  to  prevent  our  carrying  it 
into  effect." 

The  commissioners  replied  complaisantly,  and  the  affair 
ended  with  a  dinner  and  an  allowance  of  "  grog  and  tobacco." 


452  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

It  was  noticed  that  the  Sachems  only  shook  the  hands  of  the 
commissioners,  but  the  warriors  and  women  ("  the  strength 
of  the  nation")  postponed  that  ceremony  "until  peace  was 
certain."  Another  usage  of  the  Shawanese,  was  subse 
quently  found  to  be,  to  transact  business  relating  to  peace 
before  noon,  the  day  afterwards  being  the  time  for  the  busi 
ness  of  war. 

An  interview,  on  the  20th  of  January,  between  Bockenge- 
helas  and  George  Rogers  Clark,  has  been  the  subject  of  much 
literary  embellishment.  Butler's  simple  narrative  is  as  fol 
lows  :  "  This  morning  early,  (Friday,  January  20,)  the  Pipe, 
a  chief  of  the  Delawares,  came  in  and  informed  us  that  the 
strange  chief  Pacanchichilcs,  or  Iskittapiecica,  in  Shawanese, 
with  others,  were  at  hand,  and  would  salute  us,  on  which  we 
ordered  the  usual  salute  of  three  platoons  to  return  it.  When 
they  advanced,  this  piece  of  ceremony  was  performed,  and 
our  messengers  showed  them  into  the  council  house,  on  which 
the  flag  of  the  United  States  is  kept  displayed.  When  they 
were  all  seated,  the  commissioners  were  notified,  and  went  to 
the  council  house  with  the  officers.  After  being  seated, 
Packanchichiles  rose  and  spoke.  His  first  address  was  to  the 
Great  Spirit,  returning  thanks  for  the  preservation  of  his  own 
and  General  Clark's  life  through  the  war,  and  for  putting  it 
once  more  in  their  power  to  see  each  other,  adding  that  he 
felt  very  happy  at  the  prospect  which  now  opened  to  his  view, 
and  thanked  God  for  giving  us  this  great  day  to  meet  and 
declare  the  pleasure  he  felt.  That  now  he  felt  the  advan 
tages  his  nation  may  experience  by  the  good  work  his  kings 
have  been  transacting  with  the  commissioners  of  the  United 
States ;  that  he  is  determined  to  support  it  with  all  his 
endeavor,  and  recommended  to  General  Clark,  as  a  warrior, 
to  assist  on  our  part,  with  much  more  to  the  same  purport. 


TREATY  OF  FORT  FINNEY.  453 

General  Clark  told  him  he  was  glad  to  sec  him,  and  advised 
him  to  be  strong  and  sincere  in  his  determination/'12 

On  this  occasion,  "  the  old  chief  called  Tetapaxicca,"  spoke 
to  the  same  purport,  and  the  Big  Cat,  who  had  been  employed 
as  a  messenger  to  the  western  tribes,  reported  that  a  depu 
tation  of  the  Twightwees,  and  other  Wabash  and  Miami  Indi 
ans,  had  reached  the  Shawanese  towns,  "  where  they  received 
such  advice  and  accounts  from  Detroit  as  put  them  back." 
He  also  charged  the  Shawanese  with  giving  the  tomahawk  to 
a  town  of  Mohicans  on  the  White  River.  The  statements  of 
Big  Cat  were  afterwards  denied  very  stoutly  by  the  Shaw 
anese. 

On  the  30th  of  January,  the  main  business  of  the  confer 
ence  proceeded.  The  commissioners  addressed  the  Indians 
so  nearly  in  the  spirit  and  terms  employed  at  the  treaty  of 
Fort  Stanwix,  as  to  render  a  transcript  unnecessary.  They 
closed  with  a  recital  of  the  terms  of  a  treaty  which  they 
should  impose  upon  the  Shawanese.  Immediately  ensued  a 
scene  of  great  excitement.  The  younger  warriors  of  the 
nation,  as  Butler  admits  under  date  of  January  17th,  "who 
had  grown  up  through  the  course  of  the  war,"  had  been 
"  trained  like  young  hounds  to  blood,  and  were  greatly  under 
British  influence.  When  the  latter  were  informed  of  the 
stringent  terms  dictated  to  them — especially  the  surrender 
of  hostages  for  the  delivery  of  prisoners — intense  dissatisfac 
tion  prevailed.  The  chief  from  Wakatomaka,  Kekewepel- 
lethy,  became  the  organ  of  this  indignant  feeling,  and  ad 
dressed  the  commissioners  as  follows  : 

"  Brothers,  by  what  you  said  to  us  yesterday,  we  expected 
everything  past  would  be  forgotten ;  that  our  proposals  for 

12)  For  a  more  detailed  sketch  of  Bockengehelas,  the  distinguished  Dela 
ware  chief,  see  Appendix  No.  XI. 


454  IIISTOllY    OF   OHIO. 

collecting  the  prisoners  were  satisfactory,  and  that  we  would 
have  been  placed  on  the  same  footing  as  before  the  war. 
To-day  you  demand  hostages  till  your  prisoners  are  returned. 
You  next  say  you  will  divide  the  lands.  I  now  tell  you  it  is 
not  the  custom  of  the  Shawnese  to  give  hostages ;  our  words 
are  to  be  believed  ;  when  we  say  a  thing,  we  stand  to  it ;  ivc 
are  Shawnese!  As  to  the  lands,  God  gave  us  this  country; 
we  do  not  understand  measuring  out  the  lands  ;  it  is  all  ours. 
You  say  you  have  goods  for  our  women  and  children ;  you 
may  keep  your  goods,  and  give  them  to  the  other  nations ; 
we  will  have  none  of  them.  Brothers,  you  seem  to  grow 
proud  because  you  have  thrown  down  the  king  of  England  ; 
and  as  we  feel  sorry  for  our  past  faults,  you  rise  in  your  de 
mands  on  us.  This  we  think  hard.  You  need  not  doubt 
our  words — what  we  have  promised  we  will  perform.  We 
told  you  we  had  appointed  three  good  men  of  our  nation  to 
go  to  the  towns  and  collect  your  flesh  and  blood ;  they  shall 
be  brought  in.  We  have  never  given  hostages,  and  we  will 
not  comply  with  this  demand."  A  string  of  black  wampum 
was  likewise  delivered. 

After  a  short  consultation,  the  commissioners  determined 
not  to  recede  from  any  of  the  articles,  and  General  Butler 
thus  addressed  the  turbulent  assemblage  : 

"  SHAWNEES  :  You  have  addressed  us  with  great  warmth. 
We  think  the  answer  unwise  and  ungrateful ;  and,  in  return 
for  just  and  generous  proposals,  you  have  not  only  given  us 
improper  language,  but  asserted  the  greatest  falsehoods.  You 
say  you  cannot  give  hostages  for  the  performance  of  your 
promises,  as  it  is  contrary  to  your  usages,  and  that  you  never 
break  your  word.  Have  you  forgotten  your  breach  of  treaties 
in  the  beginning  of  the  late  war  with  Britain,  between  the 
United  States  and  your  chiefs,  in  '75  and  '76  ?  Do  you 


TREATY   OF   FORT   FINNEY.  455 

think  us  ignorant  of  those  treaties  ?  Do  you  think  we  have 
forgotten  the  burning  of  our  towns,  the  murder  and  captivity 
of  our  people  in  consequence  of  your  perfidy,  or  have  you 
forgotten  them?  Don't  you  remember  when  Col.  Bouquet 
came  up  to  Tuscarawas,  that  you  there  gave  hostages  ?  Do 
you  forget  that  you  gave  hostages  to  Lord  Dunmore  ?  Do 
you  forget  that  when  he  had  agreed  to  send  people  to  collect 
the  prisoners,  that  they  had  like  to  have  been  murdered  in 
your  towns  ?  Recollect,  and  you  might  know  that  these  are 
truths.  You  gave  to  both  of  these  great  men  hostages  for 
the  performance  of  your  promises  ;  and,  even  under  that 
engagement,  you  paid  so  little  regard  to  your  faith,  which 
you  had  pledged,  that  it  was  with  difficulty  our  people  got 
from  amongst  you  ;  and  although  you  had  promised  to  do  the 
business  yourselves,  you  did  not  even  attempt  to  protect  these 
men  who  went  to  assist  you.  We  know  these  things  to  be 
truths,  with  much  more  we  could  relate  equally  aggravating. 
You  cannot,  therefore,  expect  we  will  believe  you ;  I  tell  you 
we  cannot  believe  you,  or  rely  on  your  words ;  are  the  burn 
ing  the  houses  of  our  people,  and  barbarously  ravaging 
our  frontier,  besides  the  repeated  violations  of  treaties  of  the 
most  sacred  nature — are  your  barbarous  murders,  and  the 
cruelty  shown  our  prisoners,  marks  of  your  fidelity,  or  proofs 
of  your  pacific  disposition,  or  a  desire  of  enjoying  the  bles 
sings  of  peace  in  common  with  us?  I  say,  they  are  not. 
These  are  the  gifts  of  heaven,  and  they  cannot  be  enjoyed 
under  such  circumstances.  You  joined  the  British  king 
against  us,  and  followed  his  fortunes ;  we  have  overcome 
him,  he  has  cast  you  off,  and  given  us  your  country ;  and 
Congress,  in  bounty  and  mercy,  offers  you  country  and  peace. 
We  have  told  you  the  terms  on  which  you  shall  have  it. 
These  terms  we  will  not  alter;  they  are  liberal,  they  are  just, 


456  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

and  we  will  not  depart  from  them.  We  now  tell  you,  if  you 
have  been  so  unfortunate  and  unwise  as  to  determine  and 
adhere  to  what  you  have  said,  and  to  refuse  the  terms  we 
have  offered  to  give  to  your  nation  peace,  friendship  and  pro 
tection,  you  may  depart  in  peace  ;  you  shall  have  provisions 
to  take  you  to  your  towns,  and  no  man  shall  touch  you  for 
eight  days  after  this  day  ;  but  after  that  time  is  expired,  be 
assured  that  we  shall  consider  ourselves  freed  from  all  the 
ties  of  protection  to  you,  and  you  may  depend  the  United 
States  will  take  the  most  effectual  measures  to  protect  their 
citizens  and  to  distress  your  obstinate  nation.  It  rests  now 
with  you.  The  destruction  of  your  women  and  children,  or 
their  future  happiness,  depends  on  your  present  choice. 
Peace  or  war  is  in  your  power  ;  make  your  choice  like  men, 
and  judge  for  yourselves.  We  shall  only  add  this  :  had  you 
judged  as  it  is  your  interest  to  do,  you  would  have  considered 
us  as  your  friends,  and  followed  our  counsel ;  but  if  you 
choose  to  follow  the  opinion  which  you  have  expressed,  you 
are  guided  either  by  evil  counsel  or  rashness,  or  are  blinded. 
We  plainly  tell  you  that  this  country  belongs  to  the  United 
States — their  blood  hath  defended  it  and  will  forever  protect 
it.  Their  proposals  are  liberal  and  just ;  and  you,  instead 
of  acting  as  you  have  done,  and  instead  of  persisting  in  your 
folly,  should  be  thankful  for  the  forgiveness  and  offers  of 
kindness  of  the  United  States,  instead  of  the  sentiments  which 
this  string  imports,  and  the  manner  in  which  you  have  de 
livered  it.  [I  then  took  it  up  and  dashed  it  on  the  table.] 
We  therefore  leave  you  to  consider  of  what  hath  been  said, 
and  to  determine  as  you  please." 

The  commissioners  then  threw  down  a  black  and  a  white 
string,  to  signify  that  they  might  choose  either  war  or  peace, 
and  retired.  "  It  was  worthy  of  observation,"  Butler  con- 


TREATY  OP  FORT  FINNEY.  457 

tinues,  "to  see  the  different  degrees  of  agitation  which  ap 
peared  in  the  young  Indians  at  the  delivery  of  Kekewapel- 
lathe's  speech."  They  were  "ready  for  war,"  but  the  out 
side  pressure  was  too  strong  for  that  sentiment  to  prevail : 
and  at  a  subsequent  interview  on  the  same  day,  the  chief, 
who  had  spoken  so  boldly,  succumbed  to  the  demands  of  the 
American  officers.  Although  the  treaty  is  dated  January 
81,  it  was  actually  signed  on  the  1st  of  February.  It  is 
hero  transcribed  from  the  United  States  Statutes  at  Large, 
Vol.  vii.,  p.  26: 

ARTICLE  1.  Three  hostages  shall  be  immediately  deliv 
ered  to  the  commissioners,  to  remain  in  the  possession  of  the 
United  States  until  all  the  prisoners,  white  and  black,  taken 
in  the  late  war  from  among  the  citizens  of  the  United  States, 
by  the  Shawanoe  nation,  or  by  any  other  Indian  or  Indians 
residing  in  their  towns,  shall  be  restored. 

ARTICLE  2.  The  Shawanoe  nation  do  acknowledge  the 
United  States  to  be  the  sole  and  absolute  sovereigns  of  all 
the  territory  ceded  to  them  by  a  treaty  of  peace  made  be 
tween  them  and  the  King  of  Great  Britain,  the  fourteenth 
day  of  January,  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty- 
four. 

ARTICLE  3.  If  any  Indian  or  Indians  of  the  Shawanoe 
nation,  or  any  other  Indian  or  Indians  residing  in  their 
towns,  shall  commit  robbery  or  murder  on,  or  do  any  injury 
to  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  or  any  of  them,  that 
nation  shall  deliver  such  offender  or  offenders  to  the  officer 
commanding  the  nearest  post  of  the  United  States,  to  be 
punished  according  to  the  ordinances  of  Congress ;  and  in 
like  manner,  any  citizen  of  the  United  States,  who  shall  do 
an  injury  to  any  Indian  of  the  Shawanoe  nation,  or  to  any 

other  Indian  or  Indians  residing  in  their  towns,  and  under 
90 


458  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

their  protection,  shall  be  punished  according  to  the  laws  of 
the  United  States. 

ARTICLE  4.  The  Shawanoe  nation  having  knowledge  of 
the  intention  of  any  nation  or  body  of  Indians  to  make  war 
on  the  citizens  of  the  United  States,  or  of  their  counselling 
together  for  that  purpose,  and  neglecting  to  give  information 
thereof  to  the  commanding  officer  of  the  nearest  post  of  the 
United  States,  shall  be  considered  as  parties  in  such  war, 
and  be  punished  accordingly :  and  the  United  States  shall 
in  like  manner  inform  the  Shawanoes  of  any  injury  designed 
against  them. 

ARTICLE  5.  The  United  States  do  grant  peace  to  the 
Shawanoe  nation,  and  do  receive  them  into  their  friendship 
and  protection. 

ARTICLE  6.  The  United  States  do  allot  to  the  Shawa 
noe  nation,  lands  within  their  territory  to  live  and  hunt 
upon,  beginning  at  the  south  line  of  the  lands  allotted  to  the 
Wyandots  and  Delaware  nations,  at  the  place  where  the 
main  branch  of  the  Great  Miami,  which  falls  into  the  Ohio, 
intersects  the  said  line ;  then  down  the  River  Miami  to  the 
fork  of  that  river,  next  below  the  old  fort  which  was  taken 
by  the  French  in  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty-two ; 
thence  due  west  to  the  River  de  la  Panse ;  then  down  that 
river  to  the  River  Wabash,  beyond  which  lines  none  of  the 
citizens  of  the  United  States  shall  settle,  nor  disturb  the 
Shawanoes  in  their  settlement  and  possessions ;  and  the  Shaw 
anoes  do  relinquish  to  the  United  States,  all  title  or  pretence 
of  title,  they  ever  had  to  the  lands  east,  west  and  south  of  the 
east,  west  and  south  lines  before  described. 

ARTICLE  7.  If  any  citizen  or  citizens  of  the  United  States 
shall  presume  to  settle  upon  the  lands  allotted  to  the  Shaw- 


TREATY  OF  FORT  FINNEY.  459 

anoes  by  this  treaty,  he  or  they  shall  be  put  out  of  the  pro 
tection  of  the  United  States. 

In  testimony  whereof,  the  parties  hereunto  have  affixed  their 
hands  and  seals  the  day  and  year  first  above  mentioned  : 

G.  CLARK,  MUSQUAUCOXOCAH, 

RICHD.  BUTLER,  MEANYMSECAII, 

SAML.  II.  PARSONS,  WAUPAUCOWELA, 

AWEECONY,  NlHIPEEWA, 

KAKAWIPILATHY,  NIHINESSICOE, 

MALUNTHY. 

Attest :  ALEXANDER  CAMPBELL,  Sec'y  Commissioners. 

WITNESSES.— W.  Finney,  Maj.  B.  B. ;  Thos.  Doyle,  Capt. 
B.  B.  ;  Xathan  McDowell,  Ensign ;  John  Saffenger ;  Henry 
Govy  ;  Kagy  Galloway  ;  John  Boggs ;  Sam.  Montgomery  ; 
Daniel  Elliot ;  James  Rinker ;  Nathl.  Smith  :  Joseph  Suffrein, 
or  Kemepemo  Shawno  ;  Isaac  Zane  (Wyandot) ;  The  Half 
King  of  the  Wyandots ;  The  Crane  of  the  Wyandots  ;  Capt. 
Pipe  of  the  Delawares;  Capt.  Bohongehelas ;  Tetebockshieha ; 
The  Big  Cat  of  the  Delawares ;  Pierre  Droullar. 

The  orthography  of  the  names  of  the  Shawanese  chiefs 
varies  considerably  in  Butler's  journal.  "The  treaty  was 
signed,"  he  says,  "  by  Aweecanny,  Kewepelathy,  Captains 
Melontha,  Musquackhoonaka,  Mianimsicca,  Wapachcawela, 
Nihipeewa,  kings,  and  Nehinessica,  a  young  chief.  The 
last  named,  Mianimsicca  and  four  others  were  delivered  as 
hostages — six  instead  of  three.  The  witnesses  were  military 
officers,  and  inhabitants  of  the  vicinity :  Joseph  Suffrein, 
mentioned  as  the  White  Shawnee,  and  probably  an  adopted 
son  of  the  tribe  and  the  Wyandot  and  Delaware  chiefs,  whose 
names  are  already  familiar  by  their  connection  with  the 
treaty  of  Fort  Mclntosh.13 

During  the  period  of  these  negotiations,  the  vigilance  of 

13)  Sen,  Appendix  No.  XII. 


460  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

the  commissioners  was  unable  to  prevent  depredations  upon 
the  Indians  by  white  borderers,14  and  it  required  an  extraordi 
nary  exertion  to  check  the  organization  of  an  expedition  to 
proceed  from  Lexington  to  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio,  and  thence 
strike  across  the  country  to  a  point  on  the  Great  Miami,  forty 
miles  north  of  its  mouth,  for  the  purpose  of  intercepting  and 
plundering  the  returning  party  of  Shawanese.  Such  a  con 
dition  of  the  frontier  (for  the  savages,  either  in  provocation 
or  refusal,  were  constantly  making  depredations),  in  connec 
tion  with  the  ill-suppressed  dissatisfaction  of  the  Shawanese 
with  the  treaty  itself,  augured  most  unfavorably  for  the 
future.  Indeed,  the  treaty  of  Fort  Finney,  or  the  Great 
Miami,  was  not  worth  the  paper  on  which  it  was  engrossed. 
The  savage  inroads  continued  through  the  summer  of  1780, 
and  in  the  autumn  of  that  year  Col.  Logan  led  his  expedi 
tion  against  their  towns,  on  the  Mad  River  and  Great  Miami, 
as  already  narrated. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  terms  of  this  treaty  were 
peculiarly  calculated  to  excite  the  jealousy  of  the  Indians. 
The  Sbawanese  were  made  to  "  acknowledge  the  United 
States  to  be  the  sole  and  absolute  sovereign  of  all  the  terri 
tory  ceded  by  Great  Britain" — a  claim  unintelligible  to  the 
savages,  except  in  a  sense  fatal  to  their  independence  and 
territorial  rights.  Nor  was  this  an  erroneous  construction. 
In  a  communication  to  President  Washington,  by  H.  Rnox, 
Secretary  of  War,  dated  June  15th,  1789,  the  following  ad 
mission  occurs:  "  By  having  recourse  to  the  several  Indian 

14)  An  old  Wyandot  chief,  called  Runtandy,  who  came  to  camp  as  early 
as  Oct.  23,  with  three  young  lads  and  a  white  interpreter,  lost  several  horses, 
and  on  account  of  his  absence  in  pursuit  of  the  thieves,  his  name  does  not 
appear  in  the  attestation.  Quere. — Is  the  "Doonyontat"  of  Brodhcad's 
Conference,  in  1779,  the  "Daungquat,"  of  Fort  Mclntosh,  and  "Iluntandy," 
the  same  Tin  mo  ? 


CONFEDERATE  COUNCIL  AT  DETROIT.        461 

treaties,  made  by  the  authority  of  Congress,  since  the  con 
clusion  of  the  war  with  Great  Britain,  excepting  those  made 
January,  1789,  at  Fort  Harmar,  it  would  appear,  that  Con 
gress  were  of  opinion,  that  the  treaty  of  peace  of  1783, 
absolutely  invested  them  with  the  fee  of  all  the  Indian  lands 
within  the  limits  of  the  United  States ;  that  they  had  the 
right  to  assign  or  retain  such  portions  as  they  should  judge 
proper."15 

So  general  was  the  sensation  of  alarm,  that  the  active  and 
intelligent  Brant  succeeded  in  reviving  his  favorite  project 
of  the  New  York  and  Northwestern  tribes ;  although  there 
is  reason  to  doubt  whether  the  former  were  ever  represented 
therein,  except  by  himself  and  his  Mohawks,  already  refugees 
in  Canada.  There  had  been  some  indications  of  such  a  com 
bination  at  the  Treaty  of  Fort  Stanwix,  but  the  commissioners 
on  that  occasion  had  sternly  and  peremptorily  refused  to  re 
cognize  any  other  Indian  parties  to  the  negotiation  than  the 
Six  Nations.  When,  however,  the  transactions  at  the  Ohio 
conferences  had  penetrated  the  recesses  of  the  Western 
wilderness,  it  was  not  difficult,  near  the  close  of  1786,  to 
assemble  a  formidable  body  of  savage  protestants  at  the  Huron 
village  opposite  Detroit.  The  Indian  archives  of  the  United 
States  contain  a  document,  addressed  to  Congress,  and  pur 
porting  to  proceed  from  the  Five  Nations,  Hurons,  Delawares, 
Shawancse,  Ottowas,Chippewas,  Powtewattimies,  Twichtwees, 
Cherokees,  and  the  Wabash  confederates,  assembled  in  con 
federate  council  near  the  mouth  of  the  Detroit  River,  from 
the  28th  of  November  to  the  18th  of  December,  1786.  Their 
speech  is  of  the  latter  date,  and  expressed  a  desire  for  peace, 
while  temperately  yet  firmly  insisting,  that  the  first  step  to 
wards  a  lasting  reconciliation  should  be,  "  that  all  treaties 

1-5)  American  State  Papers,  vol.  v.,  p.  13. 


462  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

carried  on  with  the  United  States,  should  be  with  the  gen 
eral  voice  of  the  whole  confederacy,  and  in  the  most  open 
manner,  without  any  restraint  on  either  side,  holding  all 
partial  treaties  as  void  and  of  no  effect."  They  attributed 
recent  "  mischief  and  confusion"  to  the  fact  that  the  United 
States  had  "  managed  every  thing  their  own  way,"  and  con 
cluded  treaties  separately.  Congress  was  also  urged  to  order 
surveyors  and  others  to  cease  from  crossing  the  Ohio  River. 
Notwithstanding  the  mischief  that  had  happened,  the  council 
professed  a  sincere  wish  for  peace  and  tranquillity.  "This," 
they  said,  "  is  the  determination  of  all  the  chiefs  of  the  con 
federacy  now  assembled,  notwithstanding  that  several  Indian 
chiefs  were  killed  in  our  villages,  even  when  in  council,  and 
when  absolutely  engaged  in  promoting  peace  with  you,  the 
thirteen  United  States."  For  this  purpose,  they  proposed  a 
treaty  at  some  half-way  house  early  in  the  spring  of  1787. 
This  important  address  closed  with  these  words  :  "  Brothers! 
It  shall  not  be  our  faults,  if  the  plans  which  we  have  suggest 
ed  to  you  should  not  be  carried  into  execution.  In  that  case, 
the  event  will  be  very  precarious  ;  and  if  fresh  ruptures  en 
sue,  we  hope  to  be  able  to  exculpate  ourselves,  and  shall  most 
assuredly,  with  our  united  force,  be  obliged  to  defend  those 
rights  and  privileges  which  have  been  transmitted  to  us  by 
our  ancestors  ;  and  if  we  should  be  thereby  reduced  to  mis 
fortunes,  the  wrorld  will  pity  us  when  they  think  of  the  ami 
cable  proposals  we  now  make  to  prevent  the  unnecessary 
effusion  of  blood.  These  are  our  thoughts  and  firm  resolves, 
and  we  earnestly  desire  that  you  would  transmit  to  us,  as 
soon  as  possible,  your  answer,  be  it  what  it  may."  The  ad 
dress  was  not  signed  by  the  individual  chiefs,  but  opposite 
the  name  of  each  nation  was  drawn  the  figure  of  the  bird  or 
animal,  which  had  been  adopted  as  a  national  emblem. 


TREATY    OF    GREENVILLE.  463 

In  a  letter  to  Col.  Joseph  Brant,  dated  "  War  Office,  July 
23,  1787,"  Gen.  Knox  explains  that  the  Shawanese  neglect 
ed  to  forward  the  original  speech  ;  and  it  appears  by  a  letter 
from  Captain  Pipe  of  the  Delawares,  and  the  Half  King  of 
the  Wyandots,  dated  June  3,  1787,  that  they  finally  for 
warded  the  despatches  to  Fort  Pitt,  whence  they  reached  the 
War  Office  on  the  17th  of  July. 

Such  a  communication  could  not  fail  to  produce  a  profound 
sensation  in  Congress.  That  body  wras  almost  powerless  by 
the  weakness  of  the  old  system  of  confederation.  The  fight 
ing  population  of  the  tribes  apparently  represented  at  the 
council  near  Detroit,  was  estimated  at  five  thousand  warriors ; 
while  the  British  still  held  the  frontiers,  and  their  agents 
ranged  the  valleys  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  the  Ohio  and  the 
Mississippi.  Under  these  circumstances,  Congress  wisely 
modified  their  policy ;  recognized  the  Indians  as  the  rightful 
proprietors  of  the  soil ;  and,  on  the  2cl  of  July,  appropriated 
twenty-six  thousand  dollars  "  solely  to  the  purpose  of  extin 
guishing  Indian  claims  to  lands  already  ceded  to  the  United 
States,  by  obtaining  regular  conveyances  for  the  same,  and 
for  extending  a  purchase  beyond  the  limits  hitherto  fixed  by 
treaty."  The  clause  in  relation  to  limits,  was  a  mere  salvo 
to  pride,  as  the  treaties  of  Fort  Harmar,  negotiated  on  the 
9th  of  January,  1788,  by  Governor  St.  Clair,  with  the  Six 
Nations  and  the  Ohio  Indians,  respectively,  were  only  a  re 
iteration  of  the  boundary  stipulations  at  Fort  Stanwix  and 
Fort  Mclntosh. 

The  jealousies  between  the  New  York  and  the  Western 
tribes,  soon  interrupted  the  Indian  confederacy,  which  Brant 
and  Sir  John  Johnson  had  hoped  to  make  an  efficient  agency 
of  embarrassment  to  the  United  States,  but  long  and  bitter 
was  the  struggle,  before  the  Western  Indians  acquiesced  in 


464  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

the  surrender  of  the  valley  of  the  Ohio.  It  was  not  until  the 
treaty  of  Greenville,  August  3,  1795,  that  the  terrors  of 
savage  warfare  passed  from  the  annals  into  the  traditions  of 
the  frontiers :  but  the  campaigns  of  Wilkinson,  Harmar,  St. 
Clair,  and  Wayne,  are  beyond  our  present  design,  and  we 
pause  at  a  period  when,  with  the  territorial  organization,  the 
idea  of  conquest  had  ceased  to  guide  our  Indian  administra 
tion,  and  the  more  generous  policy,  of  the  recognition  and 
purchase  of  an  aboriginal  right  to  the  soil,  which  Washington 
was  the  first  to  urge,  became  the  usage  of  his  own  and  sub 
sequent  administrations  of  the  General  Government. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

COLONIAL  CLAIMS  TO  WESTERN  LANDS,  AND  THEIR  CESSION 
TO  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

ON  the  5th  of  March,  1496,  King  Henry  VII.  of  England 
granted  to  the  Vcnitian  adventurer,  John  Cabot  and  his 
three  sons,  Sebastian,  Lewis,  and  Sanctius,  a  commission 
by  which  they  had  authority  and  leave  to  sail  to  all  parts, 
countries  and  seas  of  the  east,  of  the  west,  and  of  the  north, 
and  upon  their  own  proper  cost  and  charges,  to  seek  out  and 
discover  countries  of  the  heathen  and  infidels,  unknown  to  all 
Christians;  there  to  set  up  the  king's  banner;  to  occupy 
and  possess,  as  his  vassals  and  lieutenants,  the  countries 
they  should  find,  on  condition  of  paying  him  one-fifth  of  all 
the  gains  obtained  by  them.  Under  this  commission,  John 
Cabot  and  his  son  Sebastian,  sailed  from  England  in  May, 
1497,  and  in  June  came  in  sight  of  land,  supposed  to  be  a 
part  of  Newfoundland.  Thence  they  sailed  along  the  coast 
north  and  south,  and  returned  without  attempting  a  settle 
ment,  although  they  took  possession  of  the  country  in  behalf 
of  the  crown  of  England. 

In  1534  the  celebrated  Jaques  Cartier  made  several  voy 
ages  along  the  northern  coast  of  North  America,  sailed  up 
the  River  St.  Lawrence  as  far  as  Montreal,  and  took  posses 
sion  of  the  country  in  the  name  of  the  King  of  France.  On 
the  17th  of  June,  1673,  Father  Marquette  and  M.  Joliet 
reached  the  Mississippi  by  the  channels  of  the  Fox  and  Wis 
consin  Rivers,  and  descended  as  far  as  the  Arkansas ;  while 

(465) 


466  HISTORY   O*1    OHIO. 

on  the  9th  of  April,  1683,  M.  de  la  Salle,  the  commandant 
of  Fort  Frontenac  on  Lake  Ontario,  discovered  the  mouth 
of  the  Mississippi,  and  took  formal  possession  of  the  country 
in  the  name  of  Louis  XIV.  of  France. 

Colonization  gave  significance  to  discovery.  England 
chiefly  occupied  the  Atlantic  sea-board :  Canada  and  Louisi 
ana  became  colonies  of  France,  and,  before  the  treaty  of 
1763,  France  had  so  successfully  asserted  her  dominion  to 
the  valley  of  the  Ohio,  that  England  proposed  to  limit  her 
American  colonies  on  the  west  by  a  line  drawn  from  Lake 
Erie  through  French  creek  to  its  mouth,  and  thence  direct 
to  the  nearest  mountains  of  Virginia. 

When,  in  1763,  after  a  struggle  of  various  fortune,  the 
title  to  the  vast  region  of  the  Ohio,  the  Mississippi  and  St. 
Lawrence  was  yielded  by  France,  the  government  of  Eng 
land  proclaimed  that  all  the  land  west  and  northwest  of  the 
sources  of  the  Atlantic  rivers  was  reserved  under  the  sov 
ereignty,  protection  and  dominion  of  the  King  of  Great 
Britain,  for  the  use  of  the  Indians,  and  the  governors  of  the 
colonies  were  forbidden  to  make  any  grants  of  the  lands 
thus  reserved. 

Such  a  disposition  of  the  conquest  from  France  was  incon 
sistent  with  the  pretensions  of  some  of  the  colonies,  whose 
early  charters  included  in  their  limits  the  whole  breadth  of 
the  continent — "from  sea  to  sea."  The  adjustment  of  these 
claims  greatly  embarrassed  the  country  at  the  most  critical 
period  of  our  national  history,  and  is  so  closely  related  to 
individual  rights  in  the  soil  of  Ohio,  as  to  justify  a  detailed 
statement  of  their  nature  and  extent. 

In  the  year  1606,  on  the  10th  of  April,  James  I.,  King 
of  England,  on  the  application  of  a  number  of  gentlemen,  for 
a  license  to  settle  a  colony  in  that  part  of  America  called 


COLONIAL   CLAIMS   TO    WESTERN   LANDS.  467 

Virginia,  not  possessed  by  any  Christian  prince  or  people, 
between  the  thirty-fourth  and  forty-fifth  degrees  of  north 
latitude,  granted  them  a  charter.  In  order  to  facilitate  the 
settlement  of  the  country,  and  at  the  request  of  the  adven 
turers,  he  divided  it  into  two  colonies.  To  the  first  colony, 
consisting  of  Sir  Thomas  Gates,  Sir  George  Somers,  Richard 
Hackluyt,  Edward  Maria  Wingfield  and  their  associates, 
called  the  London  Company,  he  granted,  "  That  they  might 
begin  their  first  plantation  and  habitation  at  any  place  on  the 
said  coast  of  Virginia  or  America,  where  they  shall  think  fit 
and  convenient,  between  the  said  four-and-thirty  and  one- 
and-forty  degrees  of  the  said  latitude ;  and  they  shall  have 
all  lands,  &c.,  from  the  said  first  seat  of  their  plantation  and 
habitation,  by  the  space  of  fifty  miles  of  English  statute 
measure,  all  along  the  said  coast  of  Virginia  and  America, 
towards  the  west  and  southwest,  as  the  coast  lieth,  with  all 
the  islands  within  one  hundred  miles  directly  over  and 
against  the  same  sea-coast;  and  also  all  the  lands,  &c., 
from  said  place  of  their  first  plantation  and  habitation,  for 
the  space  of  fifty  like  English  miles,  all  along  the  said  coast 
of  Virginia  and  America,  towards  the  east  and  northeast,  or 
towards  the  north  as  the  coast  lieth,  with  all  the  islands, 
within  one  hundred  miles,  directly  over  and  against  the  said 
sea  coast;  and  also  all  the  lands,  &c.,  from  the  same  fifty 
miles  every  way  on  the  sea  coast,  directly  into  the  main 
land,  by  the  space  of  one  hundred  like  English  miles,  and 
that  no  other  subjects  should  be  allowed  to  settle  on  the 
back  of  them,  towards  the  main  land,  without  written  license 
from  the  council  of  the  colony." 

To  the  second  colony,  consisting  of  Thomas  Hanman, 
Raleigh  Gilbert,  William  Parker,  George  Popham,  and  others, 
principally  inhabitants  of  Plymouth,  Bristol,  and  the  eastern 


468  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

parts  of  England,  King  James  granted  the  tract  between  the 
thirty-eight  and  forty-fifth  degrees  of  north  latitude,  under  the 
same  description,  as  the  grant  of  the  first  colony.  To  these 
grants  a  consideration  was  annexed,  that  a  plantation  should 
not  be  made  within  one  hundred  miles  of  a  prior  plantation. 

By  the  same  charter,  the  king  agreed  that  he  would  give 
and  grant,  by  letters  patent,  to  such  persons,  their  heirs  and 
assigns,  as  the  council  of  each  colony,  or  the  most  part  of 
them,  should  nominate  or  assign,  all  the  lands,  tenements 
and  hereditaments,  which  should  be  within  the  precincts  lim 
ited  for  each  colony,  to  be  holdcn  of  him,  his  heirs  and  suc 
cessors  as  for  the  manor  of  East  Greenwich,  in  the  county 
of  Kent,  in  free  and  common  socage  only,  and  not  in  capite. 
And  that  such  letters  patent  should  be  sufficient  assurance 
from  the  patentees,  so  distributed  and  divided  amongst  the 
undertakers  of  the  plantations  of  the  several  colonies,  and 
such  as  should  make  their  plantations  in  either  of  the  said 
several  colonies  in  such  manner  and  form,  and  for  such  estates, 
as  shall  be  ordered  and  set  down  by  the  council  of  said  col 
ony,  or  the  most  part  of  them  respectively,  within  which  the 
same  lands,  tenements  or  hereditaments  shall  lie,  or  be ; 
although  express  mention  of  the  true  yearly  value  or  cer 
tainty  of  the  premises,  or  any  of  them,  or  of  any  other  gifts 
or  grants  by  the  king,  or  any  of  his  progenitors  or  prede 
cessors,  to  the  guarantees,  was  not  made,  or  any  statute,  &c., 
to  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 

On  the  23d  of  May,  1G09,  King  James,  on  the  applica 
tion  of  the  first  colony  for  a  further  enlargement  and  explana 
tion  of  the  first  grant,  gave  them  a  second  charter,  in  which 
they  were  incorporated  by  the  name  of  "  The  Treasurer  and 
Company  of  Adventurers  and  Planters  of  the  city  of  London, 
for  the  first  colony  of  Virginia." 


COLONIAL   CLAIMS   TO    WESTERN   LANDS.  469 

In  this  charter,  the  king  grants  to  them  all  the  lands,  &c., 
in  that  part  of  America  called  Virginia,  from  the  point  of 
land  called  Cape  or  Point  Comfort,  all  along  the  sea-coast  to 
the  northward,  two  hundred  miles ;  and  from  the  said  Point 
or  Cape  Comfort,  all  along  the  sea-coast,  to  the  southward, 
two  hundred  miles ;  and  all  the  space  and  circuit  of  land, 
lying  from  the  sea-coast  of  the  precinct  aforesaid  up  into  the 
main  land  throughout,  from  sea  to  sea,  west  and  northwest; 
and  also  all  the  islands  within  one  hundred  miles  along  the 
coast  of  both  seas  of  the  precinct  aforesaid. 

On  the  12th  of  March,  1011-12,  on  the  representation 
that  there  were  several  islands  without  the  foregoing  grant, 
and  contiguous  to  the  coast  of  Virginia,  and  on  the  request 
of  the  said  first  colony,  for  an  enlargement  of  the  former 
letters  patent,  as  well  for  a  more  ample  extent  of  their  limits 
and  territories  into  the  seas  adjoining  to,  and  upon  the  coast 
of  Virginia,  as  for  the  better  government  of  the  said  colony, 
King  James  granted  them  another  charter.  After  reciting 
the  description  of  the  second  grant,  he  then  proceeds  to  give, 
grant  and  confirm,  to  the  Treasurer  and  Company  of  Adven 
turers  and  Planters  of  the  city  of  London  for  the  first  colony 
of  Virginia,  and  their  heirs,  &c.,  "  all  and  singular  those 
islands,  whatsoever,  situate  and  being  in  any  part  of  the 
ocean,  seas,  bordering  on  the  coast  of  our  said  first  colony  in 
Virginia,  and  being  within  three  hundred  leagues  of  any  of 
the  parts  heretofore  granted  to  the  said  treasurer  and  com 
pany  in  said  former  letters  patent  as  aforesaid,  and  being 
within  the  one  and-fortieth  and  thirty  degrees  of  northerly 
latitude,  with  all  the  lands,  £c.,  both  within  the  said  tract  of 
land  on  the  main,  and  also  within  the  said  islands  and  seas 
adjoining,  &c.  Provided,  always,  that  the  said  islands,  or 
any  premises  herein  mentioned,  or  by  these  presents  intended 


470  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

or  meant  to  be  conveyed,  be  not  actually  possessed  or  inhab 
ited  by  any  othe.r  Christian  prince  or  state ;  nor  be  within 
the  bounds,  limits,  or  territories  of  the  northern  colony  here 
tofore  by  us  granted,  to  be  planted  by  our  loving  subjects  in 
the  north  part  of  Virginia." 

On  the  15th  day  of  July,  1624,  James  I.  granted  a  com 
mission  for  the  government  of  Yirginia,  in  which  it  is  alleged 
that  the  charters  to  the  Treasurer  and  Company  of  Adventur 
ers  and  Planters  of  the  city  of  London,  for  the  first  colony  of 
Virginia,  had  been  avoided  upon  a  quo  warranto  brought,  and 
a  legal  and  judicial  proceeding  therein  by  due  course  of  law. 

On  the  20th  day  of  August,  1624,  James  granted  another 
commission  for  the  government  of  Virginia,  in  which  it  is 
alleged  :  "  Whereupon  we,  entering  into  mature  and  deliber 
ate  consideration  of  the  premises,  did,  by  the  advice  of  our 
Lords  of  the  Privy  Council,  resolve,  by  altering  the  charters 
of  the  said  company,  as  to  the  point  of  government,  wherein 
the  same  might  be  found  defective,  to  settle  such  a  course- 
as  might  best  secure  the  safety  of  the  people  there,  and  cause 
the  said  plantation  to  flourish  ;  arid  yet,  with  the  preservation 
of  the  interests  of  every  planter  and  adventurer,  so  far  forth 
as  their  present  interests  shall  not  prejudice  the  public  plan 
tations  ;  but  because  the  said  treasurer  and  company  did  not 
submit  their  charters  to  be  reformed,  our  proceedings  therein 
were  stayed  for  a  time,  until,  upon  quo  warranto  brought, 
and  a  legal  and  a  judicial  proceeding  therein,  by  due  course 
of  law,  the  said  charters  were,  and  now  arc,  and  stand 
avoided." 

On  the  13th  of  May,  1625,  Charles  I.,  by  his  proclama 
tion,  after  alleging  that  the  letters  patent  to  the  colony  of 
Virginia  had  been  questioned  in  a  legal  course,  and  thereupon 
judicially  repealed  and  judged  to  be  void,  declares  that  the 


COLONIAL   CLAIMS   TO   WESTERN   LANDS.  471 

government  of  the  colony  of  Virginia,  shall  immediately 
depend  on  himself,  and  not  be  committed  to  a  company  or 
corporation. 

From  this  time,  Virginia  was  considered  to  be  a  royal  gov 
ernment,  and  it  appears  that  the  kings  of  England,  from  time 
to  time,  granted  commissions  for  the  government  of  the  same. 

The  right  of  making  grants  of  lands  was  vested  in  and 
solely  exercised  by  the  crown. 

The  colonies  of  Maryland,  North  and  South  Carolina, 
Georgia,  and  part  of  Pennsylvania,  were  erected  by  the 
crown,  within  the  chartered  limits  of  the  first  colony  of  Vir 
ginia. 

In  the  year  1620,  on  the  3d  of  November,  King  James  gave 
a  charter  to  the  second  colony  of  Virginia.  After  citing  the 
grants  made  to  the  first  colony  of  Virginia,  and  stating  an 
application  from  the  second  colony  for  a  further  enlargement 
of  privileges,  he  proceeded  to  declare,  "  that  the  tract  of 
land,  in  America,  between  the  fortieth  and  forty-eighth  de 
grees  of  north  latitude,  from  sea  to  sea,  should  be  called  New 
England ;  and  for  the  planting  and  governing  the  same,  he 
incorporated  a  council  at  Plymouth,  in  the  county  of  Devon, 
and  granted  to  them  and  their  successors  all  that  part  of 
America  lying  and  being  in  breadth,  from  forty  degrees  of 
northerly  latitude  from  the  equinoctial  line,  to  forty-eight 
degrees  of  the  said  northerly  latitude  inclusively,  and  in 
length  of  and  within  all  the  said  breadth  aforesaid,  throughout 
all  the  main  lands  from  sea  to  sea,  together  with  all  the  firm 
lands,  &c.,  upon  the  main,  and  within  the  said  islands  and 
seas  adjoining.  Provided,  the  said  islands,  or  any  of  the 
premises  before  mentioned,  and  intended  by  said  charter  to 
be  granted,  be  not  actually  possessed  or  inhabited  by  any 
Christian  prince  or  state,  nor  be  within  the  bounds,  limits  or 


472  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

territories  of  the  southern  colony,  granted  to  be  planted  in 
the  south  part."  King  James,  by  said  charter,  commanded 
and  authorized  said  council  at  Plymouth,  or  their  successors, 
or  the  major  part  of  them,  to  distribute  and  assign  such  por 
tions  of  land  to  adventurers,  &c.,  as  they  shall  think  proper. 
In  1628,  4th  March,  the  council  of  Plymouth,  pursuant 
to  the  authority  vested  in  them  by  their  charter,  granted  to 
Sir  Henry  Roswcll,  Sir  John  Young,  Thomas  Southcoat,  John 
Humphrey,  John  Endicott  and  Simon  Whetcomb,  their  heirs 
and  associates,  a  tract  of  land  called  Massachusetts ;  and 
King  Charles  I.,  on  the  4th  of  March,  1629,  confirmed  the 
sale  and  granted  them  a  charter.  After  reciting  the  de 
scription  of  the  grant  to  the  council  of  Plymouth,  and  their 
grant  to  Sir  Henry  Roswell  and  others,  he  grants  and  con 
firms  to  them  "  all  that  part  of  New  England  in  America, 
which  lies  and  extends  between  a  great  river  there  commonly 
called  Morromack  River,  alias,  Merrimack  River,  and  a  certain 
other  river  there  called  Charles  River,  being  in  the  bottom 
of  a  certain  bay,  there  called  Massachusetts,  alias,  Matta- 
chusetts,  alias,  Massactusctts  Bay ;  and  also  all  and  singular 
those  lands  and  hereditaments  whatsoever,  lying  within  the 
space  of  three  English  miles,  on  the  south  part  of  the  said 
river,  called  Charles  River,  or  of  any  or  every  part  thereof; 
and  also  all  and  singular,  the  lands  and  hereditaments  what 
soever,  lying  and  being  within  the  space  of  three  English 
miles  to  the  southward  of  the  southernmost  parts  of  the  said 
bay,  called  Massachusetts,  alias,  Mattachusetts,  alias,  Mas- 
sactusetts  Bay ;  and  also  all  those  lands  and  hereditaments 
whatsoever,  which  lie  and  be  within  the  space  of  three  Eng 
lish  miles  to  the  northward  of  the  said  river,  called  Morro 
mack,  alias,  Merrimack ;  or  to  the  northward  of  any  and 
every  part  thereof;  and  all  lands  and  hereditaments  whatso- 


COLONIAL   CLAIMS  TO   WESTEHN   LANDS.  473 

ever,  lying  within  the  limits  aforesaid,  north  and  south,  in 
latitude  and  in  breadth,  and  in  length  and  longitude  of  and 
•within  all  the  breadth  aforesaid,  throughout  the  main  lands 
there  from  the  Atlantic  and  Western  sea  and  ocean  on  the 
cast  part  to  the  /South  Sea  on  the  west  part,  with  a  proviso 
not  to  extend  to  lands  possessed  by  a  Christian  prince,  or 
within  the  limits  of  the  southern  colony. 

In  the  year  1631,  on  the  19th  of  March,  the  Earl  of  War 
wick  (to  whom  the  territory  had  been  granted  the  year  before 
by  the  council  of  Plymouth)  granted  to  Lord  Say  and  Seal, 
Lord  Brooke,  Lord  Rich,  Charles  Fiennes,  Sir  Richard  Sal- 
tonstall,  Sir  Nathaniel  Rich,  Richard  Kingsly,  John  Pym, 
John  Humphrey,  John  Hampden  and  Herbert  Pelham,  "  all 
that  part  of  New  England  in  America  which  lies  and  extends 
itself  from  a  river  there  called  Narragansett  River,  the  space 
of  forty  leagues,  upon  a  straight  line  near  the  sea  shore, 
towards  the  southwest,  west  and  by  south  or  west  as  the  coast 
lieth  towards  Virginia,  accounting  three  English  miles  to  the 
league,  and  also  all  and  singular  the  lands  and  hereditaments 
whatsoever,  lying  and  being  within  the  lands  aforesaid,  north 
and  south,  in  latitude  and  in  breadth,  and  in  length  and  lon 
gitude  of,  and  within  all  the  breadth  aforesaid,  throughout 
the  main  lands  there  from  the  Western  ocean  to  the  South 
sea,  &c.,  and  also  all  the  islands  lying  in  America  aforesaid, 
in  said  seas,  or  either  of  them,  on  the  western  or  eastern 
coasts."  In  1644,  the  patentees,  in  consequence  of  the  new 
state  of  things  in  England,  relinquished  their  plan  of  removal 
and  sold  their  grant  to  the  people  of  Connecticut.  On  the 
23d  of  April,  1662,  King  Charles  II.  granted  a  charter  in 
which  he  constituted  and  declared  John  Winthrop  and  others, 
his  associates,  "  a  body  corporate  and  politic,  by  the  name  of 

the  governor  and  company  of  the  English  colony  of  Connec- 

20* 


474  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

ticut,  in  New  England,  in  America,  with  privileges  and 
powers  of  government,  and  granted  and  confirmed  to  the  said 
governor  and  company  and  their  successors,  all  that  part  of 
his  dominions  in  New  England,  in  America,  bounded  on  the 
east  by  Narraganset  River,  commonly  called  Narragansat 
Bay,  where  the  said  river  falls  into  the  sea ;  and  on  the  north 
by  the  line  of  Massachusetts  plantation,  and  on  the  south  by 
the  sea,  and  in  longitude  as  the  line  of  Massachusetts  colony, 
running  from  east  to  west,  that  is  to  say,  from  the  said  Nar 
raganset  Bay  on  the  east,  to  the  South  sea  on  the  west,  with 
the  islands  thereto  adjoining."  On  the  23d  of  April,  1664, 
King  Charles  addressed  a  letter  to  the  governor  and  company 
of  Connecticut,  in  which,  among  other  things,  he  speaks  of 
having  renewed  their  charter. 

On  the  12th  of  March,  1664,  Charles  II.  granted  to  James, 
Duke  of  York,  the  region  extending  from  the  western  bank 
of  the  Connecticut  to  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Delaware, 
together  with  Long  Island  and  Hudson  River.  This  grant 
was  inconsistent  with  the  western  limits  of  Massachusetts 
and  Connecticut,  and  soon  after,  commissioners  on  the  part 
of  the  crown  met  those  appointed  by  the  General  Assembly 
of  Connecticut  for  the  settlement  of  this  conflict  of  bounda 
ries.  On  the  30th  of  November,  1664,  the  royal  commis 
sioners  ordered  "  that  the  creek  or  river  which  is  called 
Monoromock,  which  is  reputed  to  be  about  twelve  miles  to 
the  east  of  Westchester,  and  a  line  to  be  drawn  from  the  east 
point  or  side  where  the  fresh  water  falls  into  the  salt,  at  high 
water  mark,  north-northwest  to  the  line  of  Massachusetts,  be 
the  western  bound  of  said  colony  of  Connecticut,  and  all 
plantations  lying  westward  of  that  creek  and  line  so  drawn 
shall  be  under  his  Royal  Highness'  government;  and  all 
plantations  lying  eastward  of  that  creek  and  line  to  be  under 


COLONIAL   CLAIMS   TO    WESTERN   LANDS.  47b 

the  government  of  Connecticut."  To  this  the  commissioners 
of  Connecticut  subscribed  in  the  following  manner  :  "  We, 
the  underwritten,  on  behalf  of  the  colony  of  Connecticut, 
have  assented  unto  the  determination  of  His  Majesty's  com 
missioners  in  relation  to  the  bounds  and  limits  of  his  Royal 
Highness  the  Duke's  patent  and  the  patent  of  Connecti 
cut."  A  re-settlement  of  this  line  was  finally  effected  in 
1730,  when  Borain  River,  the  present  line,was  established. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1681,  Charles  II.  granted  to  William 
Perm,  the  first  proprietary  and  governor  of  Pennsylvania, 
"  all  that  tract  or  part  of  land  in  America,  with  the  islands 
therein  contained,  as  the  same  is  bounded  on  the  east  by 
Delaware  River,  from  twelve  miles  distance  northward  of 
Newcastle  town,  unto  the  three  and  fortieth  degree  of  north 
ern  latitude,  if  said  river  doth  extend  so  far  north  ward ;  but 
if  the  said  river  shall  not  extend  so  far  northward,  then  by 
the  said  river  so  far  as  it  doth  extend,  and  from  the  head  of 
the  said  river  the  eastern  bounds  are  to  be  determined  by  a 
meridian  line  to  be  drawn  from  the  head  of  said  river  unto 
the  said  forty-third  degree ;  the  said  land  to  extend  westward 
five  degrees  in  longitude  to  be  computed  from  the  said  eastern 
bounds ;  and  the  said  lands  to  be  bounded  on  the  north  by 
the  beginning  of  the  three  and  fortieth  degree  of  northern 
latitude  ;  and  on  the  south  by  a  circle  drawn  at  twelve  miles 
distance  from  Newcastle,  northward  and  westward,  unto  the 
beginning  of  the  fortieth  degree  of  northern  latitude,  and 
then  by  a  straight  line,  westward,  to  the  limits  of  longitude 
above  mentioned." 

In  1754,  some  settlements  were  made  from  Connecticut, 
on  lands  on  the  Susquehannah,  about  Wyoming,  within  the 
chartered  limits  of  Pennsylvania,  and  also  within  the  char 
tered  limits  claimed  by  Connecticut.  Pennsylvania  resisted 


476  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

these  occupants  as  intruders ;  and  the  organization  by  Con 
necticut,  of  a  county  of  Westmoreland,  in  the  valley  of  Wy 
oming,  led  to  many  scenes  of  civil  strife.  The  controversy 
was  finally  determined  in  1782,  by  the  intervention  of  Con 
gress.  The  articles  of  confederation  of  1779,  provided  for 
the  settlement  of  territorial  disputes  between  the  States  by  a 
federal  court,  to  be  composed  of  judges  selected  by  the  par 
ties  litigant  and  commissioned  by  Congress.  Such  a  tribunal 
of  five  judges,  having  been  in  session  six  weeks  at  Trenton, 
unanimously  determined  that  the  State  of  Connecticut  had 
no  right  to  the  lands  included  in  the  charter  of  Pennsylvania. 
Congress  confirmed  this  decision  and  Connecticut  submitted. 

In  1774,  the  Parliament  of  Great  Britain  passed  an  act 
by  which  the  whole  country  north  of  the  forty-fifth  parallel 
of  latitude,  and  northwest  of  the  west  boundary  of  Pennsyl 
vania  and  the  Ohio  River,  was  annexed  and  made  parcel  of 
the  province  of  Quebec,  as  created  and  established  by  the 
royal  proclamation  of  October  7,  17G3,  with  a  proviso,  how 
ever,  that  the  act  should  not  affect  the  boundaries  of  other 
colonies. 

Thus  it  is  obvious  that,  before  the  American  Revolution, 
the  claims  of  any  of  the  colonies  to  extend  their  limits  to  the 
"  South  Sea,"  were  of  little  importance  or  value — entirely 
disregarded  by  the  crown,  and  constantly  yielded  by  the 
colonies.  It  remains  to  be  seen,  that  a  sentiment  of  hostility 
to  Great  Britain  tended  to  revive  these  claims  until  they 
became  a  serious  obstacle  to  the  harmony  of  Congress  and 
the  national  defence. 

The  first  demonstration  proceeded  from  Virginia.  In 
1776  that  colony  adopted  a  State  Constitution,  in  which  the 
following  provision  occurred :  "  The  territories  contained 
within  the  charters,  erecting  the  colonies  of  Maryland,  Penn- 


COLONIAL   CLAIMS   TO    WESTERN   LANDS.  477 

sylvania,  North  and  South  Carolina,  are  hereby  ceded,  re 
leased,  and  forever  confirmed  to  the  people  of  these  colonies 
respectively,  with  all  the  rights  of  property,  jurisdiction  and 
government,  and  all  other  rights  whatsoever,  which  might,  at 
any  time  heretofore,  have  been  claimed  by  Virginia,  except 
the  free  navigation  and  use  of  the  rivers  Potomaque  and 
Pokomoke,  with  the  property  of  the  Virginia  shores  and 
strands,  bordering  on  either  of  the  said  rivers,  and  all  im 
provements  which  have  been,  or  shall  be  made  thereon.  The 
western  and  northern  extent  of  Virginia  shall,  in  all  other 
respects,  stand  as  fixed  by  the  charters  of  King  James  I.,  in 
the  year  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  nine,  and  by  the 
public  treaty  of  peace,  between  the  courts  of  Britain  and 
France,  in  the  year  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty- 
three  :  unless,  by  act  of  this  Legislature,  one  or  more  govern 
ments  be  established  westward  of  the  Allegheny  Mountains. 
And  no  purchases  of  lands  shall  be  made  of  the  Indian  na 
tives,  but  on  behalf  of  the  public,  by  authority  of  the  General 
Assembly."  North  Carolina  inserted  a  similar  assertion  of 
western  boundary  in  her  Constitution.  Massachusetts,  Con 
necticut  and  New  York  did  not  refer  to  the  subject  in  that 
connection. 

Maryland  led  the  resistance  to  these  pretensions.  When 
the  Articles  of  Confederation  were  under  consideration,  her 
delegates  contended,  unsuccessfully,  that  Congress  should 
have  the  power  to  limit  and  ascertain  the  boundaries  of  those 
colonies  which  claimed  to  the  South  Sea,  and  to  dispose  of  all 
lands  beyond  such  boundaries  for  the  benefit  of  the  Union. 
In  June,  1778,  it  appeared  that  Maryland,  New  Jersey  and 
Delaware  were  the  only  colonies  that  had  declined  to  ratify 
the  Articles,  and  the  instructions  to  their  delegates  concurred 
on  the  subject  of  the  public  lands.  Maryland  now  proposed 


478  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

an  amendment,  vesting  Congress  with  power  "  to  appoint 
commissioners,  who  should  be  fully  authorized  and  empow 
ered  to  ascertain  and  restrict  the  boundaries  of  such  of  the 
confederated  States  which  claim  to  extend  to  the  river  Mis 
sissippi  or  South  Sea."  It  was  negatived  by  the  following 
vote :  Aye,  Rhode  Island,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Del 
aware,  Maryland ;  No,  New  Hampshire,  Massachusetts, 
Connecticut,  Virginia,  South  Carolina,  Georgia — New  York 
divided,  and  North  Carolina  absent.  The  whole  subject  was 
postponed,  and  the  compact  only  contained  a  provision  for 
the  arbitration,  under  the  direction  of  Congress,  of  disputes 
and  differences  between  the  States  concerning  boundary  ju 
risdiction  or  other  causes — with  the  condition  carefully  added, 
that  "  no  State  [should]  be  deprived  of  territory  for  the 
benefit  of  the  United  States." 

Virginia,  in  1779,  opened  an  office  for  the  sale  of  unap 
propriated  lands.  Congress  earnestly  recommended  the  re 
consideration  of  the  act,  and  directed  Col.  Brodhead,  who 
was  then  stationed  with  a  detachment  of  continental  troops 
at  Fort  Pitt,  to  prevent  any  occupation  of  the  west  bank  of 
the  Ohio  by  settlers.  In  the  execution  of  these  orders,  that 
officer,  in  October,  1779,  being  informed  that  certain  inhab 
itants  of  Virginia  had  crossed  the  Ohio  and  made  improve 
ments  on  the  Indian  lands,  from  the  river  Muskingum  to  Fort 
Mclntosh,  ordered  them  to  be  apprehended  as  trespassers, 
and  destroyed  their  huts.  Information  of  this  was  immedi 
ately  given  to  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  but  Congress  re 
solved,  April  18th,  1780,  that  Colonel  Brodhead  should  be 
supported  in  any  act  or  order  which  the  nature  of  his  service 
had  made,  or  should  make  necessary. 

The  example  of  Virginia  was  contagious,  and  other  States 
revived  their  dormant  claims  to  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi. 


COLONIAL   CLAIMS   TO    WESTERN    LANDS.  479 

Some  of  them  did  so,  it  must  be  admitted,  with  better  reason 
than  the  former  State  could  adduce.  "  The  charter  of  Vir 
ginia  had  been  vacated  by  a  judicial  proceeding ;  the  com 
pany  to  which  it  was  granted  had  been  dissolved ;  the  grant 
itself  had  been  resumed  by  the  crown,  and  large  tracts  of  the 
country  included  by  its  original  limits,  had  been  patented  to 
various  individuals  and  associations,  without  remonstrance  on 
the  part  of  Virginia." ]  We  have  already  described  the 
charters  of  Massachusetts :  the  Carolinas  had  received  simi 
lar  grants ;  under  the  proclamation  of  1763,  annexing  to 
Georgia  the  country  west  of  the  Altamaha  and  north  of  Flor 
ida,  that  State  also  claimed  to  extend  to  the  Mississippi :  and 
so  did  New  York,  under  color  of  certain  alleged  acknowledg 
ments  of  her  jurisdiction  over  the  Six  Nations,  whom  it  had 
long  been  colonial  usage  to  regard  as  the  conquerors  of  the 
whole  western  territory  on  both  shores  of  Lakes  Ontario  and 
Huron,  and  both  banks  of  the  Ohio,  as  far  south  as  the 
Cumberland  Mountains. 

The  Articles  of  Confederation,  dated,  in  the  preamble, 
November  15,  1777,  were  signed  by  the  representatives  of 
ten  colonies,  on  the  9th  of  July,  1778.  New  Jersey  deferred 
her  signature  to  the  25th  of  November,  1778,  and  Delaware 
ratified  the  Articles  on  the  22d  of  February,  1779.  Mary 
land,  however,  still  persisted  in  a  refusal.  In  December, 
1778,  the  Legislature  of  Maryland  made  a  communication  to 
their  delegates  in  Congress,  in  which  they  insisted,  "  that  a 
country  unsettled  at  the  commencement  of  the  war,  claimed 
by  the  British  crown,  and  ceded  to  it  by  the  treaty  of  Paris, 
if  wrested  from  the  common  enemy  by  the  blood  and  treasure 
of  the  thirteen  States,  should  be  considered  as  a  common 
property,  subject  to  be  parceled  out  by  Congress  into  free, 

1)  Historical  Sketch  of  Ohio,  by  S.  P.  Chase.    Statutes,  vol.  i.,  p.  13. 


480  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

convenient  and  independent  governments,  in  such  manner 
and  at  such  times  as  the  wisdom  of  that  assembly  shall  here 
after  direct.  Thus  convinced,"  they  proceed  to  say,  "  we 
should  betray  the  trust  reposed  in  us  by  our  constituents, 
were  we  to  authorize  you  to  ratify  on  their  behalf  the  con 
federation,  unless  it  be  further  explained.  We  have  coolly 
and  dispassionately  considered  the  subject ;  we  have  weighed 
probable  inconveniences  and  hardships  against  the  sacrifice 
of  just  and  essential  rights  :  and  do  instruct  you  not  to  agree 
to  the  confederation,  unless  an  article  or  articles  be  added 
thereto  in  conformity  with  our  declaration.  Should  we  suc 
ceed  in  obtaining  such  article  or  articles,  then  you  are  hereby 
fully  empowered  to  accede  to  the  confederation." 

The  above  are  but  the  closing  paragraphs  of  an  able  docu 
ment,  to  which  the  State  of  New  York  was  the  first  to  re 
spond  by  a  contribution  of  individual  interest  to  the  general 
welfare.  In  February,  1780,  the  legislature  of  that  State 
passed  an  act  "  to  facilitate  the  completion  of  the  Articles  of 
Confederation  and  perpetual  union  among  the  United  States 
of  America ;"  whereas,  nothing  under  Divine  Providence, 
can  more  effectually  contribute  to  the  tranquillity  and  safety 
of  the  United  States  of  America,  than  a  federal  alliance,  on 
such  liberal  principles  as  will  give  satisfaction  to  its  respective 
members ;  and,  whereas,  the  Articles  of  Confederation  and 
perpetual  union  recommended  by  the  honorable  the  Congress 
of  the  United  States  of  America  have  not  proved  acceptable 
to  all  the  States,  it  having  been  conceived  that  a  portion  of 
the  waste  and  uncultivated  territory,  within  the  limits  or 
claims  of  certain  States,  ought  to  be  appropriated  as  a  com 
mon  fund  for  the  expenses  of  the  war :  and  the  people  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  being  on  all  occasions  disposed  to  mani 
fest  their  regard  for  their  sister  States,  and  their  earnest 


RESOLUTIONS   OF   CONGRESS.  481 

desire  to  promote  the  general  interest  and  security  ;  and 
more  especially  to  accelerate  the  federal  alliance,  by  remov 
ing,  so  far  as  it  depends  upon  them,  the  before  mentioned 
impediment  to  its  final  conclusion,"  &c.  By  this  act  the  del 
egates  of  the  People  of  New  York  in  Congress,  were  em 
powered  "  to  limit  and  restrict  the  western  boundaries  of 
that  State,  by  such  line  or  lines,  and  in  such  manner  and 
form,  as  they  shall  judge  to  be  expedient,  either  with  respect 
to  the  jurisdiction  as  well  as  the  preemption  of  soil,  or  reserv 
ing  the  jurisdiction  in  part,  or  in  the  whole,  over  the  lands 
which  may  be  ceded  or  relinquished,  with  respect  only  to  the 
right  and  preemption  of  the  soil."  This  act,  also,  declared 
that  the  territory  thus  ceded,  "  should  be  and  enure  for  the 
use  and  benefit  of  such  of  the  United  States,  as  should  be 
come  members  of  the  federal  alliance  of  the  said  States,  and 
for  no  other  use  or  purpose  whatever." 

A  remonstrance  of  Virginia  in  behalf  of  her  title,  and  the 
act  of  New  York  just  cited,  were  referred  to  a  committee  of 
Congress,  who  declined  to  examine  into  the  merits  or  policy 
of  the  instructions  by  Maryland  and  the  remonstrance  of 
Virginia,  but  reported  a  resolution,  which  Congress  adopted, 
September  6th,  1780,  earnestly  recommending  to  those  States 
who  had  claims  to  the  western  country,  to  pass  such  laws 
and  give  their  delegates  in  Congress  such  powers,  as  would 
effectually  remove  the  only  obstacle  to  a  final  ratification  of 
the  Articles  of  Confederation ;  and  that  the  legislature  of 
Maryland  be  earnestly  requested  to  authorize  their  delegates 
in  Congress  to  subscribe  the  said  articles. 

A  resolution  of  still  more  importance,  since  the  terms  of  it 
subsequently  became  conditions  of  the  cessions  by  the  States, 
was  adopted  in  Congress  on  the  10th  of  October,  to  wit  : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  unappropriated  lands  that  may  be 
21 


482  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

ceded  or  relinquished  to  the  United  States,  by  any  particular 
State,  pursuant  to  the  recommendation  of  Congress  of  the 
6th  day  of  September  last,  shall  be  disposed  of  for  the  com 
mon  benefit  of  the  United  States,  and  be  settled  and  formed 
into  distinct  Republican  States,  which  shall  become  members 
of  the  federal  union,  and  have  the  same  rights  of  sovereignty, 
freedom  and  independence  as  the  other  States  :  that  each 
State  which  shall  be  so  formed  shall  contain  a  suitable  extent 
of  territory,  not  less  than  one  hundred,  nor  more  than  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  square,  or  as  near  thereto  as  circum 
stances  will  admit ;  that  the  necessary  and  reasonable  ex 
penses  which  any  particular  State  shall  have  incurred  since 
the  commencement  of  the  present  war,  in  subduing  any 
British  posts  or  in  maintaining  forts  or  garrisons  within  and 
for  the  defence,  or  in  acquiring  any  part  of  the  territory 
that  may  be  ceded  or  relinquished  to  the  United  States,  shall 
be  reimbursed :  that  the  said  lands  shall  be  granted  or  settled 
at  such  times,  and  under  such  regulations  as  shall  hereafter 
be  agreed  on  by  the  United  States  in  Congress  assembled, 
or  any  nine  or  more  of  them." 

The  immediate  results  were  a  cession  by  Connecticut  in 
October,  1780,  and  by  Virginia  in  January,  1781.  Neither 
of  these  cessions  were  accepted  by  Congress,  but  Maryland 
was  encouraged  by  their  terms,  and  stimulated  by  her  own 
patriotism  to  accede  to  the  articles  of  the  confederation, 
which  thus  became,  on  the  1st  of  March,  1781,  the  law  of 
the  whole  union.  On  the  same  day,  James  Duane,  William 
Floyd  and  Alexander  M'Dougall,  the  delegates  of  New 
York,  executed  a  deed  of  cession,  by  which  the  western 
bounds  of  that  state  were  limited  by  "a  line  from  the  north 
east  corner  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  along  the  north 
bounds  thereof,  to  its  northwest  corner,  continued  due  west 


THE    CONNECTICUT   CLAIM.  483 

until  it  shall  be  intersected  by  a  meridian  line,  to  be  drawn 
from  the  forty-fifth  degree  of  north  latitude,  through  a  point 
twenty  miles  due  west  from  the  most  westerly  bent  or  incli 
nation  of  the  river  or  strait  of  Niagara;  thence  by  the  said 
meridian  line  to  the  forty-fifth  degree  of  north  latitude, 
thence  by  the  said  forty-fifth  degree  of  north  latitude." 
The  delegates  reserved  a  right  of  retraction,  unless  the 
same  guaranty  was  given  to  New  York  as  to  any  other 
State  making  cessions. 

The  New  York  delegates  alluded,  in  the  qualification  of 
their  cession  last  mentioned,  to  a  proposition  of  Virginia, 
which  retarded  the  consummation  of  her  cession  for  several 
years,  and  was  finally  relinquished  by  that  State:  namely, 
that  Congress  should  guaranty  to  Virginia  all  the  territory 
southeast  of  the  Ohio  and  included  between  the  boundaries  of 
Pennsylvania,  Maryland  and  North  Carolina  to  the  Atlantic. 

Connecticut  offered  at  this  time,  to  cede  all  her  claim  to 
the  soil  of  the  territory  west  of  Pennsylvania,  excepting  the 
tract  south  of  Lake  Erie  and  immediately  adjoining  Penn 
sylvania,  since  known  as  the  Connecticut  Reserve,  but  Con 
gress  was  then  averse  to  making  so  material  a  concession. 
On  the  other  hand,  Connecticut  never  receded  from  her 
demand.  Even  after  the  Council  of  Trenton,  on  the  30th 
of  December,  1782,  had  excluded  the  Connecticut  claim 
from  the  chartered  limits  of  Pennsylvania,  the  former  state 
reasserted  her  title  to  the  lands  beyond  the  western  boun 
dary  of  Pennsylvania.  At  a  General  Assembly,  held  at 
New  Haven  on  the  second  Thursday  of  October,  1783,  the 
following  act  was  passed,  viz: 

"  Whereas  this  State  has  the  undoubted  and  exclusive 
right  of  jurisdiction  and  preemption  to  all  the  lands  lying 
west  of  the  western  limits  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  and 


484  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

east  of  the  River  Mississippi,  and  extending  throughout  from 
the  latitude  forty-one  degrees,  to  latitude  forty-two  degrees 
and  two  minutes  north,  by  virtue  of  the  charter  granted  by 
King  Charles  the  Second  to  the  late  colony,  now  State  of 
Connecticut,  bearing  date  the  23d  day  of  April,  A.  D. 
1662,  which  claim  and  title  to  make  known,  for  the  infor 
mation  of  all,  to  the  end  that  they  may  conform  themselves 
thereto, 

"  Resolved,  That  his  excellency  the  Governor,  be  desired 
to  issue  his  proclamation,  declaring  and  asserting  the  right 
of  this  State  to  all  the  lands  within  the  limits  aforesaid ;  and 
strictly  forbidding  all  persons  to  enter  or  settle  thereon, 
without  special  license  and  authority  first  obtained  by  the 
General  Assembly  of  this  State." 

Pursuant  to  this  resolution,  Governor  Trumbull  issued  a 
proclamation,  bearing  date  the  15th  of  November,  1783, 
making  known  the  determination  of  the  State  to  maintain 
their  claim  to  said  territory,  and  forbidding  all  persons  to 
enter  thereon,  or  settle  within  the  limits  of  the  same. 

It  is  interesting  to  observe  the  importance  which  Congress 
attributed  to  the  claim  of  New  York,  after  the  cession  of 
March,  1781.  A  committee,  to  whom  the  whole  subject  of 
the  public  lands  had  been  referred,  reported  on  the  3d  of 
November  in  the  same  year,  that  "  it  clearly  appeared  to 
them,  that  the  crown  of  England  had  always  considered  and 
treated  the  country  of  the  Six  Nations,  and  their  tributaries, 
inhabiting  as  far  as  the  45th  degree  of  north  latitude,  as  ap- 
pendant  to  the  government  of  New  York  ;  that  the  neighbor 
ing  colonies  of  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  Pennsylvania, 
Maryland  and  Virginia,  had  also,  from  time  to  time,  by  their 
public  acts,  recognized  and  admitted  the  said  Six  Nations, 
and  their  tributaries,  to  be  appendant  to  the  government  of 


CESSION    BY   VIRGINIA.  485 

New  York  ;  and  that  the  acceptance  by  Congress  of  the  New 
York  cession,  would  vest  the  whole  western  territory  belong 
ing  to  the  Six  Nations  and  their  tributaries,  in  the  United 
States,  greatly  to  the  advantage  of  the  nation."  The  com 
mittee  also  reported  against  a  federal  guaranty  to  Virginia 
of  the  territory  southeast  of  the  Ohio,  and  maintained  that 
large  tracts  west  of  the  mountains  had  been  sold  by  Great 
Britain  before  the  Revolution ;  "  that  in  the  year  1763,  a 
very  large  part  thereof  was  separated  and  appointed  for  a 
distinct  government  and  colony  by  the  King  of  Great  Britain, 
with  the  knowledge  and  approbation  of  the  government  of 
Virginia,"  and  that  the  west  boundary  line  of  Virginia  had 
been  otherwise  declared  by  the  King  of  Great  Britain,  in 
council,  previous  to  the  Revolution.  This  report  elicited 
much  and  warm  debate,  postponing  the  formal  acceptance  of 
the  deed  of  New  York  to  October  31,  1782 — "  an  accept 
ance  intended,"  says  Hildreth,  "  as  a  means  to  compel  the 
other  States  to  make  satisfactory  cessions."2  Massachusetts 
and  Virginia  voted  against  it ;  the  Carolinas  were  divided ; 
all  the  other  States  in  the  affirmative. 

The  subject  of  the  Virginia  cession  was  again  referred,  on 
the  4th  of  June,  1783,  to  a  select  committee  consisting  of 
Messrs.  Rutledge,  Ellsworth,  Bedford,  Gorham  and  Madison. 
They  recommended  that  Congress  should  accept  all  the  con 
ditions  proposed  by  Virginia,  except  the  territorial  guaranty 
already  mentioned,  and  a  condition  "  that  all  Indian  pur 
chases,  which  had  been  or  should  be  made  for  the  use  of 
private  persons,  and  all  royal  grants  inconsistent  with  ( the 
chartered  rights,  laws  and  customs  of  Virginia,'  should  be 
declared  void."  This  report  was  agreed  to  by  all  the  States 
except  New  Hampshire,  New  Jersey  and  Maryland ;  and  the 

2)  History  of  the  United  States,  by  Richard  Hildreth,  vol.  iii.,  p.  427. 


486  HISTORY   OP   OHIO. 

General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  at  their  session  commencing 
on  the  20th  of  October,  1783,  passed  an  act  accepting  the 
proposition  of  Congress,  and  authorized  their  delegates  in 
Congress  to  make  the  cession. 

Accordingly,  on  the  1st  day  of  March,  1784,  Thomas 
Jefferson,  Samuel  Hardy,  Arthur  Lee  and  James  Monroe, 
delegates  of  Virginia,  executed  a  deed  of  cession  to  the 
United  States  in  Congress  assembled,  of  all  right,  title  and 
claim,  as  well  of  soil  as  jurisdiction,  which  that  commonwealth 
had  to  the  "  territory  or  tract  of  country  within  the  limits  of 
the  Virginia  charter,  situate,  lying  and  being  to  the  north 
west  of  the  river  Ohio,"  upon  six  enumerated  conditions, 
namely :  Firstly,  distinct  Republican  States,  not  less  than  one 
hundred,  nor  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  square, 
were  to  be  formed  and  admitted  members  of  the  Federal 
Union,  having  the  same  rights  of  sovereignty,  freedom  and 
independence  as  the  other  States — a  recital  of  the  resolution 
of  Oct.  10,  1780.  Secondly,  Virginia  to  be  reimbursed  the 
expenses  of  subduing  British  posts,  and  acquiring  or  defend 
ing  the  territory  conveyed,  as  the  same  should  be  adjusted 
by  commissioners,  according  to  the  intent  and  meaning  of  the 
aforesaid  resolution  of  Congress.  Thirdly,  the  French  and 
Canadian  inhabitants,  who  had  professed  themselves  citizens 
of  Virginia,  to  be  confirmed  in  their  possessions  and  titles,  and 
protected  in  their  rights  and  liberties.  Fourthly,  one  hun 
dred  and  fifty  thousand  acres  of  land  to  be  selected  by  the 
officers  and  soldiers  of  Clark's  regiment,  who  were  engaged 
in  the  reduction  of  Kaskaskia  and  St.  Vincents,  which  should 
be  laid  off  in  one  tract  not  more  than  twice  its  breadth  in 
length.  Fifthly,  "  that  in  case  the  quantity  of  good  land  on 
the  southeast  side  of  the  Ohio,  upon  the  waters  of  the  Cum 
berland  River,  and  between  the  Green  River  and  Tennessee 


FUilTHER   RESOLUTIONS    OF    CONGRESS.  487 

River,  which  had  been  reserved  by  law  for  the  Virginia 
troops  upon  continental  establishment,  should,  from  the 
North  Carolina  line,  bearing  in  further  upon  the  Cumberland 
lands  than  was  expected,  prove  insufficient  for  their  legal 
bounties,  the  deficiency  should  be  made  up  to  the  said  troops  in 
good  land,  to  be  laid  off  between  the  rivers  Sciota  and  Little 
Miami,  on  the  northwest  side  of  the  river  Ohio,  in  such 
proportions  as  have  been  engaged  to  them,  by  the  laws  of 
Virginia."  Sixthly ,  "  that  all  the  lands  within  the  territory 
so  ceded  to  the  United  States,  and  not  reserved  for,  or 
appropriated  to,  any  of  the  before  mentioned  purposes,  or 
disposed  of  in  bounties  to  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the 
American  army,  shall  be  considered  a  common  fund,  for  the 
use  and  benefit  of  such  of  the  United  States  as  have  become, 
or  shall  become  members  of  the  confederation,  or  federal 
alliance  of  the  said  States,  Virginia  included,  according  to 
their  usual  respective  proportions  in  the  general  charge  or 
expenditure,  and  shall  be  faithfully  and  bona  fide  disposed 
of  for  that  purpose,  and  for  no  other  use  or  purpose  what 
soever." 

Congress  declared,  by  resolution,  that  the  United  States 
were  ready  to  receive  the  foregoing  deed.  The  delegates  of 
Virginia  then  proceeded  and  signed,  sealed  and  delivered 
the  same ;  whereupon  Congress  came  to  the  following  reso- 
tion :  "  The  delegates  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Virginia 
having  executed  the  deed ;  Resolved,  That  the  same  be  re 
corded  and  enrolled  among  the  acts  of  the  United  States  in 
Congress  assembled." 

On  the  29th  of  April,  1784,  Congress  adopted  the  follow 
ing  resolution : 

"  Congress,  by  their  resolution  of  September  6th,  1780, 
having  thought  it  advisable  to  press  upon  the  States,  having 


488  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

claims  to  the  western  country,  a  liberal  surrender  of  a  portion 
of  their  territorial  claims  ;  by  that  of  the  10th  of  October,  in 
the  same  year,  having  fixed  conditions  to  which  the  Union 
should  be  bound  on  receiving  such  cessions ;  and  having 
again  proposed  the  same  subject  to  those  States,  in  their 
address  of  April  18th,  1783,  wherein,  stating  the  national 
debt,  and  expressing  their  reliance  for  its  discharge  on  the 
prospect  of  vacant  territory  in  aid  of  other  resources,  they, 
for  that  purpose,  as  well  as  to  obviate  disagreeable  controver 
sies  and  confusions,  included  in  the  same  recommendations  a 
renewal  of  those  of  September  6th  and  October  10th,  1780, 
which  several  recommendations  have  not  yet  been  fully  com 
plied  with : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  same  subject  be  again  presented  to 
the  said  States  ;  that  they  be  urged  to  consider,  that  the  war 
being  now  brought  to  a  happy  termination,  by  the  personal 
services  of  our  soldiers,  the  supplies  of  property  of  our  citi 
zens,  and  loans  of  money  from  them  as  well  as  foreigners ; 
these  several  creditors  have  a  right  to  expect  that  funds  will 
be  provided,  on  which  they  may  rely  for  indemnification  ;  that 
Congress  still  consider  vacant  territory  as  an  important  re 
source  ;  and  that,  therefore,  said  States  be  earnestly  pressed, 
by  immediate  and  liberal  cessions,  to  forward  these  necessary 
ends,  and  to  promote  the  harmony  of  the  Union." 

Massachusetts,  on  the  13th  of  November,  1784,  having 
authorized  her  delegates  in  Congress  to  cede  to  the  United 
States  so  much  of  her  claims  to  western  territory  as  they 
might  see  fit,  it  was  proposed  by  Rufus  King,  one  of  her 
delegates,  on  the  16th  of  March,  1785,  to  modify  a  report 
on  the  western  territory,  which  had  been  accepted  by  the 
late  Congress,  by  inserting  a  total  and  immediate  prohibition 
of  slavery.  This  resolution,  substantially  adopted  by  the 


CESSION   BY   CONNECTICUT.  489 

vote  of  seven  States,  including  Maryland ;  Delaware  unrep 
resented  ;  Virginia,  the  two  Carolinas  and  Georgia  in  the 
negative.  This  was  a  test  vote,  and  having  thus  secured  the 
welfare  of  future  generations,  rather  than  any  temporary 
advantage  to  the  ceding  States,  the  delegates  of  Massachu 
setts,  Rufus  King  and  Samuel  Holten,  on  the  19th  of  April, 
1785,  executed  a  deed  of  cession  as  to  all  the  territory  west 
of  the  present  western  boundary  of  New  York ;  whereupon 
Congress  resolved  "  to  accept  said  deed  of  cession,  and  that 
the  same  be  recorded  and  enrolled  among  the  acts  of  the 
United  States  in  Congress  assembled." 

Another  year  elapsed,  when  Connecticut  resumed  the  con 
sideration  of  a  cession  of  western  territory,  and  at  a  general 
assembly  of  the  State,  on  the  second  Thursday  of  May,  1786, 
passed  the  following  act : 

"  Be  it  enacted  ly  the  Governor,  Council  and  Representa 
tives,  in  G-eneral  Court  assembled,  and  by  the  authority  of 
tlie  same,  That  the  delegates  of  this  State,  or  any  two  of 
them,  who  shall  be  attending  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States,  be,  and  they  are  hereby  directed,  authorized,  and  fully 
empowered,  in  the  name  and  behalf  of  this  State,  to  make, 
execute  and  deliver,  under  their  hands  and  seals,  an  ample 
deed  of  release  and  cession  of  all  the  right,  title,  interest, 
jurisdiction  and  claim  of  the  State  of  Connecticut,  to  certain 
western  lands,  beginning  at  the  completion  of  the  forty-first 
degree  of  north  latitude,  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  west 
of  the  western  boundary  line  of  the  commonwealth  of  Penn 
sylvania,  as  now  claimed  by  said  commonwealth,  and  from 
thence  by  a  line  to  be  drawn  north,  parallel  to,  and  one 
hundred  and  twenty  miles  west  of  the  said  west  line  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  to  continue  north  until  it  comes  to  forty- 
two  degrees  and  two  minutes  north  latitude  ;  whereby  all  the 


490  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

right,  title,  interest,  jurisdiction  and  claim  of  the  State  of 
Connecticut  to  the  lands  lying  west  of  the  said  line,  to  be 
drawn,  as  aforementioned,  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  west 
of  the  western  boundary  line  of  the  commonwealth  of  Penn 
sylvania,  as  now  claimed  by  said  commonwealth,  shall  be 
included,  released,  and  ceded  to  the  United  States  in  Con 
gress  assembled,  for  the  common  use  and  benefit  of  said 
States,  Connecticut  inclusive." 

This  pertinacity  succeeded,  and  on  the  26th  of  May,  1786, 
it  was  resolved,  "  that  Congress,  in  behalf  of  the  United 
States,  are  ready  to  accept  all  the  right,  title,  interest,  juris 
diction  and  claim  of  the  State  of  Connecticut  to  certain 
western  lands,  beginning  at  the  completion  of  the  forty-first 
degree  of  north  latitude,  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  west 
of  the  western  boundary  line  of  the  commonwealth  of  Penn 
sylvania,  as  now  claimed  by  said  commonwealth ;  and  from 
thence,  by  a  line  to  be  drawn  north,  parallel  to,  and  one 
hundred  and  twenty  miles  west  of  the  said  west  line  of  Penn 
sylvania,  and  to  continue  north  until  it  comes  to  forty-two 
degrees  two  minutes  north  latitude,  whenever  the  delegates 
of  Connecticut  shall  be  furnished  with  full  powers  and  shall 
execute  a  deed  for  that  purpose." 

On  the  14th  of  September,  1786,  William  Samuel  Johnson 
and  Jonathan  Sturges,  delegates  from  Connecticut,  executed 
a  deed  of  cession  agreeably  to  the  above  resolution,  and  it 
was  resolved  "  that  Congress  accept  the  said  deed  of  cession, 
and  that  the  same  be  recorded  and  enrolled  among  the  acts 
of  the  United  States  in  Congress  assembled." 

The  western  boundary  of  Pennsylvania,  so  frequently  men 
tioned  in  these  transactions,  had  been  in  dispute  between  the 
colonies  of  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania,  but  on  the  31st  of 
August,  1779,  an  agreement  was  concluded  between  com- 


THE    CONNECTICUT   RESERVATION.  491 

missioners  appointed  by  those  States  respectively,  that  the 
line  run  in  1767,  by  Jeremiah  Mason  and  Charles  Dixon, 
and  which  had  been  established  as  the  boundary  between 
Maryland  and  Pennsylvania,  should  be  extended  due  west 
five  degrees  of  longitude,  to  be  computed  from  the  river  Del 
aware  for  the  southern  boundary  of  Pennsylvania ;  and  that 
a  meridian  drawn  from  the  western  extremity  thereof  to  the 
northern  limit  of  the  said  States  respectively,  should  be  the 
western  boundary  of  Pennsylvania  forever.  Both  States 
concurred  in  the  action  of  the  commissioners. 

One  of  the  conditions  of  the  cessions  just  enumerated — 
originally  contained  in  the  resolution  of  Congress  of  October 
10th,  1780,  and  recognized  in  the  deed  of  Virginia — pledged 
the  government  of  the  Union  to  the  formation  of  States,  each 
with  an  extent  not  less  than  one  hundred  nor  more  than  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  square.  By  a  resolution  of  Congress, 
dated  July  7,  1786,  to  which  Virginia  responded  by  an  act 
dated  December  30,  1788,  this  condition  was  changed  so  as 
to  empower  Congress  to  make  a  division  of  the  territory  north 
west  of  the  Ohio,  into  not  less  than  three  nor  more  than  five 
States. 

Some  further  particulars  upon  the  subject  considered  in  this 
chapter  should  here  be  added  : 

Connecticut,  in  1786,  provided  for  the  survey  of  that  por 
tion  of  the  Reserve  east  of  the  Cuyahoga  River,  and  opened 
a  land  office — in  1792,  granted  five  hundred  thousand  acres, 
the  west  part  thereof,  to  certain  citizens  of  the  State  as  a 
compensation  for  property  burned  and  destroyed  in  the  towns 
of  Xew  London,  New  Haven,  Fairfield  and  Norwalk,  by  the 
British  troops  during  the  Revolution — in  1795,  sold  the 
balance  of  the  Reserve,  and  in  1800,  ceded  her  jurisdiction 
over  the  tract  to  the  United  States,  in  consideration  of  an 


492  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

act  of  Congress,  passed  April  28th,  authorizing  the  President 
to  issue  letters  patent  to  the  Governor  of  Connecticut  in  trust 
for  the  grantees  of  the  soil.  The  proceeds  of  the  Western 
Reserve  were  applied  to  the  school  fund  of  Connecticut. 

On  the  9th  of  August,  1787,  South  Carolina,  by  John 
Kean  and  Daniel  Huger,  her  delegates  in  Congress,  ceded  to 
the  United  States  the  territory  west  of  the  mountains  which 
divide  the  western  from  the  eastern  streams.  A  similar 
cession,  but  by  no  means  so  liberal  in  its  terms,  was  made  by 
North  Carolina  on  the  25th  of  February,  1790,  while  the 
Western  limits  of  Georgia  were  not  adjusted  until  1802. 


CHAPTER   XXYI. 

THE  SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  NORTH  WESTERN  TERRITORY.  —  OR 
DINANCE  OF  1787. 

To  dispose  of  the  soil  and  to  determine  the  political  institu 
tions  of  the  valley  between  the  Alleghanies  and  the  Missis 
sippi,  was  recognized  by  the  Congress  of  the  Confederation, 
as  a  grave  and  urgent  duty.  The  members  exaggerated  the 
value  of  the  lands,  as  a  resource  of  revenue  and  credit  to  the 
government;  but  there  was  no  error,  either  of  purpose  or 
policy,  in  their  political  regulations  for  the  undeveloped  em 
pire  of  the  west. 

Still,  the  necessity  of  the  case  was  substituted  for  any 
direct  constitutional  authority.  The  Articles  of  Confedera 
tion  conferred  upon  Congress  the  power  of  "  regulating  the 
trade  and  managing  all  affairs  with  the  Indians,  not  members 
of  any  of  the  States,  provided  that  the  legislative  right  of 
any  State  within  its  own  limits  be  not  infringed  or  violated," 
and  of  admitting  other  colonies  into  the  confederacy  with  the 
assent  of  nine  States  by  their  delegates ;  but  we  look  in  vain 
for  any  other  warrant  of  the  legislation  by  Congress  for  the 
disposition  and  government  of  the  western  territory.  The 
power  to  raise  a  revenue,  from  which  the  requisite  implica 
tion  might  have  been  derived,  consisted  only  of  a  right  to 
make  requisitions  upon  the  respective  States  without  the 
authority  to  enforce  their  compliance.  But,  in  the  course 
of  events,  Congress  had  acquired  a  public  domain,  and  the 
proposition  that  checked  or  answered  cavil,  was,  that  the 

(493) 


494  HISTORY    OP    OHIO. 

right  to  acquire,  necessarily  implied  the  right  to  dispose  of 
the  soil  and  protect  the  settlers  by  territorial  governments. 

The  intrusions  of  settlers  forced  a  public  system  of  survey 
and  sale  upon  the  attention  of  Congress.  On  the  20th  of 
May,  1785,  "  an  ordinance  for  ascertaining  the  mode  of  dis 
posing  of  lands  in  the  Western  Territory"  was  perfected  by 
Congress,  and  became  the  foundation  of  the  existing  system. 
A  corps  of  surveyors — one  from  each  State,  and  appointed 
by  Congress — were  placed  under  the  direction  of  Thomas 
Hutchins,  Geographer  of  the  United  States,  and  instructed 
to  divide  the  territory  into  townships  of  six  miles  square,  by 
lines  running  due  north  and  south,  and  others  crossing  these 
at  right  angles,  as  far  as  practicable.  The  first  line  running 
north  and  south  was  to  begin  on  the  Ohio  River,  at  a  point 
due  north  from  the  western  termination  of  the  southern 
boundary  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  first  line  running  east 
and  west  was  to  begin  at  the  same  point  and  extend  through 
the  territory.  The  townships,  whole  or  fractional,  were  to 
be  numbered  from  south  to  north — the  ranges  of  townships 
progressively  westward.  The  townships  were  to  be  subdi 
vided  into  thirty-six  sections,  each  containing  a  mile  square, 
or  six  hundred  and  forty  acres.  The  survey  has  since  been 
carried  to  half  sections,  quarter  sections  and  eighths,  and  in 
some  cases  to  sixteenths. 

When  the  survey  of  seven  ranges  of  townships  was  com 
pleted,  plats  were  to  be  returned  to  the  Board  of  Treasury, 
and  the  Secretary  of  War  was  to  reserve,  by  lot,  one- 
seventh  part  for  the  use  of  the  late  continental  army,  and 
so  of  every  subsequent  seven  ranges,  when  surveyed  and 
returned.  Lots  eight,  eleven,  twenty-six  and  twenty-nine 
in  each  township  were  reserved  by  the  United  States  for 
future  sale :  lot  sixteen  for  the  maintenance  of  public  schools 


CONTINENTAL  LAND  SYSTEM.  495 

within  the  township,  and  "  also  one-third  part  of  all  gold, 
silver,  lead  and  copper  mines  to  be  sold  or  otherwise  dis 
posed  of  as  Congress  should  direct." 

With  these  exceptions,  the  townships  were  to  be  drawn  in 
the  name  of  the  different  States,  in  the  proportion  of  the 
latest  requisitions  by  Congress  upon  them,  and  sold  at  pub 
lic  vendue,  after  a  prescribed  notice,  by  the  commissioners 
of  the  loan  office  of  the  several  States,  in  the  following  man 
ner  :  The  township  or  fractional  part  of  a  township  number 
one,  in  the  first  range,  to  be  sold  entire ;  and  number  two 
in  the  same  range,  by  lots:  and  thus  in  alternate  order 
through  the  whole  of  the  first  range.  In  the  second  range, 
the  first  township  to  be  sold  in  lots,  the  second  entire :  and 
so  alternately  through  the  subsequent  ranges.  "Provided, 
That  none  of  the  lands  within  the  said  territory  be  sold 
under  the  price  of  one  dollar  the  acre,  to  be  paid  in  specie, 
or  loan  office  certificates  reduced  to  specie  value  by  the 
scale  of  depreciation,  or  certificates  of  liquidated  debts  of 
the  United  States,  including  interest,  besides  the  expense  of 
the  survey  and  other  charges  thereon,  which  are  rated  at 
thirty-six  dollars,  the  township  in  specie  or  certificates  as 
aforesaid,  and  so  in  the  same  proportion  for  a  fractional  part 
of  a  township,  or  of  a  lot,  to  be  paid  at  the  time  of  sales ;  on 
failure  of  which  repayment,  the  lands  shall  again  be  offered 
for  sale." 

If  lands  remained  unsold  by  a  State  after  eighteen  months, 
they  were  to  be  returned  to  the  Board  of  Treasury,  and  sold 
as  Congress  might  direct. 

This  ordinance  also  gave  the  mode  for  dividing  among  the 
continental  soldiers  the  lands  set  apart  for  them :  reserved 
three  townships  adjacent  to  Lake  Erie  for  refugees  from 
Canada  and  Nova  Scotia,  on  account  of  their  devotion  to  the 


496  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

American  cause  r1  secured  to  the  Moravian  Indians  the  towns 
of  Gnadenhutten,  Schoenbrun  and  Salem  on  the  Muskingum, 
and  such  adjacent  lands  as  would,  in  the  judgment  of  the 
geographer,  be  sufficient  for  them  to  cultivate :  and  exclu 
ded  from  sale  the  territory  between  the  Little  Miami  and 
Scioto,  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  made  by  Virginia 
in  her  deed  of  cession  in  favor  of  her  own  troops.2 

On  the  15th  of  June,  1785,  Congress  instructed  the  com 
missioners  empowered  to  conclude  a  treaty  with  the  western 
Indians,  to  warn  off  "  several  disorderly  persons  who  had 
crossed  the  Ohio  River  and  settled  upon  unappropriated 
lands,"  which  was  industriously,  however  ineffectually,  done 
by  General  Richard  Butler,  on  his  journey  to  the  conference 
with  the  Shawanese  at  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Miami. 

Congress  instructed  Hutchins  and  his  body  of  surveyors, 
by  a  resolution  of  May  9th,  1786,  not  to  proceed  with  their 
survey  further  north  than  the  east  and  west  line  (the  exten 
sion  of  the  southern  boundary  of  Pennsylvania)  mentioned 
in  the  ordinance  of  May  20th,  1785.  A  year  afterwards, 
Congress  directed  that  the  sale  of  lands,  after  the  deduction 
of  one-seventh  for  army  bounties,  should  be  held  at  the  place 
where  Congress  was  in  session. 

The  bounties  to  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  Revolution, 
who  had  continued  in  service  until  the  close  of  the  war,  or 
until  discharged,  and  the  representatives  of  those  who  were 
slain  by  the  enemy,  had  been  granted  by  resolutions  of  Con 
gress,  dated  September  16th  and  18th,  1776,  and  August 

1)  This  tract  was  afterwards  located  eastwardly  from  the  Scioto  River, 
near  and  including  the  city  of  Columbus.    It  is  a  narrow  strip  of  country, 
4£  miles  broad  from  north  to  south,  and  48  miles  in  length— having  the 
United  States  twenty  ranges  of  military  or  army  lands  north,  and  twenty- 
two  ranges  of  Congress  lands  south,  and  consisting  of  100,000  acres. 

2)  Land  Laws  of  the  United  States,  edition  of  1828,  p.  349. 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  OHIO  COMPANY.      497 

12 th  and  September  22d,  1780,  and  were  as  follows  :  a  Major 
General,  eleven  hundred  acres ;  Brigadier  General,  eight 
hundred  and  fifty ;  Colonel,  five  hundred ;  Lieutenant  Colonel, 
four  hundred  and  fifty  ;  Major,  four  hundred  ;  Captain,  three 
hundred ;  Lieutenant,  two  hundred ;  Ensign,  one  hundred 
and  fifty ;  each  non-commissioned  officer  and  soldier,  one 
hundred.3  The  possession  of  these  and  other  claims  upon 
the  government  of  the  Union,  by  the  disbanded  and  often 
impoverished  soldiery  of  the  Revolution,  became  a  prominent 
agency  in  the  settlement  of  Ohio.  In  June,  1783,  peace 
having  been  proclaimed,  General  Rufus  Putnam,  of  Massa 
chusetts,  forwarded  to  Washington  a  memorial  from  a  number 
of  persons  holding  these  claims  for  an  appropriation  of  west 
ern  lands,  which  Washington  transmitted  to  Congress,  but 
the  States  had  not  made  their  cessions,  and  Congress  was 
obliged  to  postpone  the  consideration  of  the  subject.  In 
July,  1785,  Benjamin  Tupper,  a  Revolutionary  officer  of 
Massachusetts,  was  appointed  a  surveyor  of  western  lands, 
and  during  the  year  visited  Pittsburgh.  The  survey  was 
interrupted  by  Indian  troubles,  and  he  went  no  further,  but 
returned  with  such  impressions  of  the  Ohio  country  that 
Putnam  and  himself  united  in  a  publication,  dated  Jasiuary 
10, 1786,  which  proposed  an  association  for  the  purchase  and 
settlement  of  Ohio  lands.  Whoever  desired  to  promote  the 
scheme  were  invited  to  meet  in  their  respective  counties  of 
Massachusetts,  (enumerating  the  places)  on  the  15th  of 
February,  and  choose  a  delegate  or  delegates  to  meet  at  "  the 
Bunch  of  Grapes  tavern,  in  Boston,  Essex." 

This  convention  assembled  on  the  1st  of  March,  and  con 
sisted  of  the  following  persons  :  Winthrop  Sargent  and  John 
Mills,  of  Suffolk  county ;  Manassah  Cutler,  of  Essex ;  John 

3)  Land  Laws  of  the  United  States,  p.  330. 
21* 


498  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

Brooks  and  Thomas  Gushing,  of  Middlesex ;  Benjamin  Tup- 
per,  of  Hampshire  ;  Crocker  Sampson,  of  Plymouth  ;  Rufus 
Putnam,  of  Worcester ;  John  Patterson  and  Jahlaliel  Wood- 
bridge,  of  Berkshire  ;  and  Abraham  Williams,  of  Barnstable. 
General  Rufus  Putnam  was  elected  chairman,  and  Major 
Winthrop  Sargent  clerk. 

On  the  3d  of  March,  a  committee  consisting  of  Messrs. 
Putnam,  Cutler,  Brooks,  Sargent  and  Gushing,  reported  a 
plan  of  association,  which  was  adopted.  The  leading  features 
of  the  organization  were  these :  a  fund  of  a  million  dollars, 
mainly  in  continental  specie  certificates,  was  to  be  raised  for 
the  purchase  of  lands  in  the  western  territory ;  there  were 
to  be  a  thousand  shares  of  one  thousand  dollars  each,  and 
upon  each  share  ten  dollars  in  specie  were  to  be  paid  for 
contingent  expenses.  One  year's  interest  on  the  certificates 
was  to  be  appropriated  to  the  charges  of  making  a  settlement 
and  assisting  those  who  were  unable  to  remove  without  aid. 
The  owners  of  every  twenty  shares  were  to  choose  an  agent  to 
represent  them,  and  attend  to  their  interests,  and  these  agents 
were  to  choose  five  directors,  a  treasurer  and  secretary. 

The  next  meeting  of  the  associates  was  held  at  Bracket's 
tavern,  in  Boston,  on  the  8th  of  March,  1787,  called  by  special 
advertisement.  At  this  meeting  it  appeared  that  two  hundred 
and  fifty  shares  had  been  subscribed  in  this  "  company's 
funds,"  and  "that  many  in  the  commonwealth  of  Massachu 
setts,  Connecticut,  Rhode  Island  and  New  Hampshire,  were 
inclined  to  become  adventurers,  and  restrained  only  by  the 
uncertainty  of  obtaining  a  sufficient  tract  of  country,  collec 
tively,  for  a  great  settlement."  It  was  resolved  that  three 
directors  be  appointed  for  the  company,  who  were  to  make 
immediate  application  to  Congress  for  a  private  grant  of  lands. 
General  Samuel  H.  Parsons,  General  Rufus  Putnam,  and  the 


NEGOTIATIONS   WITH   CONGRESS.  499 

Rev.  Manassah  Cutler  were  chosen.  Major  Winthrop  Sar 
gent  was  elected  secretary.  The  appointment  of  the  other 
two  directors  and  treasurer  was  postponed  until  another 
meeting. 

The  directors  employed  Dr.  Cutler  to  make  a  contract  with 
Congress,  and  for  that  purpose  he  passed  the  month  of  July 
in  New  York,  with  the  exception  of  a  week's  attendance 
upon  the  federal  convention,  then  engaged  in  Philadelphia  in 
framing  the  constitution  of  the  United  States.  An  interview 
with  Thomas  Hutching,  shortly  after  Cutler's  arrival  in  New 
York,  confirmed  the  previous  impressions  of  the  New  Eng 
land  adventurers  in  favor  of  a  location  inclusive  and  westward 
of  the  Muskingum  valley.  General  Parsons,  as  a  commis 
sioner  to  the  Shawanese,  in  1T86,  had  shared  the  enthusiasm 
of  all  the  early  voyagers  along  the  river  coast  of  that  region 
of  Ohio,  and  Hutchins  doubtless  spoke  from  his  preposses 
sions  while  the  companion  of  Colonel  Bouquet  twenty  years 
before.  In  a  published  journal  of  Dr.  Cutler,  under  date 
of  July  9,  he  says  that  Hutchins  advised  him  "  by  all  means 
to  make  the  location  on  the  Muskingum,  which  was  decidedly, 
in  his  opinion,  the  best  part  of  the  whole  western  country." 
Another  circumstance  in  favor  of  the  Muskingum,  was  the 
security  to  the  colonists  from  the  establishment,  since  the 
autumn  of  1785,  of  a  post — Fort  Harmar — at  the  confluence 
of  the  Muskingum  and  the  Ohio. 

The  journal  of  Cutler  indicates  very  distinctly,  that  his 
embassy  to  New  York  would  have  been  unsuccessful  if  he 
and  Sargent  (whom  he  associated  with  himself  in  the  nego 
tiation)  had  not  consented  to  extend  their  contract  for  the 
benefit  of  another  company.  He  was  also  obliged  to  surren 
der  General  Samuel  H.  Parsons,  as  a  candidate  for  governor 
of  the  territory,  in  favor  of  the  appointment  of  General 


500  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

Arthur  St.  Clair,  who  was  a  delegate  from  Pennsylvania,  and 
also  president  of  Congress.  On  the  20th  of  July,  Colonel 
William  Duer,  and  "  a  number  of  the  principal  characters  of 
the  city,"  induced  Cutler  to  extend  his  purchase  so  as  to 
include  their  own  speculations,  although  this  part  of  the 
transaction  was  to  be  kept  "  a  profound  secret ;"  and  Cutler 
admits  that  "  matters  went  on  much  better"  after  St.  Clair 
and  his  friends  had  been  informed  that  Parsons  was  given  up 
for  the  governorship. 

On  the  23d,  Congress  authorized  the  Board  of  Treasury 
to  contract  with  any  person  or  persons  for  a  grant  of  a  tract 
of  land  which  should  be  bounded  by  the  Ohio  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Scioto  to  the  intersection  of  the  western  boundary  of 
the  seventh  range  of  townships  then  in  course  of  survey ; 
thence  by  the  said  boundary  to  the  northern  boundary  of  the 
tenth  township  from  the  Ohio ;  thence  by  a  due  west  line  to 
Scioto;  thence  by  the  Scioto  to  the  beginning." 

Cutler,  Sargent  and  Duer,  as  the  former  admits  in  his 
diary,  "  now  entered  into  the  true  spirit  of  negotiation  with 
great  bodies.  Every  machine  in  the  city  that  it  was  possible 
to  work  was  now  put  in  motion,"  &c.  They  succeeded,  and 
it  appears  from  the  resolution  of  July  23,  authorizing  the 
Board  of  Treasury  to  contract  on  certain  terms  therein  enu 
merated,  from  a  communication  by  Cutler  and  Sargent,  as 
"  agents  of  the  Ohio  Company  of  Associates,"  dated  July 
26,  and  from  the  final  resolution  of  Congress  on  the  27th, 
that  the  following  were  the  terms  of  sale  for  the  tract  above 
described. 

A  survey  of  the  tract,  ascertaining  its  contents  and  plainly 
marking  the  northern  boundary,  was  to  be  made  by  the  United 
States,  but  the  company  should  lay  off  the  tract  into  town 
ships  and  lots,  pursuant  to  the  ordinance  of  May  20th,  1785. 


OHIO   COMPANY.  501 

The  reservations  in  each  township  were  :  lot  sixteen,  for 
schools  ;  twenty-nine,  for  the  purposes  of  religion  ;  and  eight, 
eleven  and  twenty-six,  for  future  disposition  by  Congress. 
The  price  to  be  one  dollar  per  acre,  "  payable  in  specie,  loan 
office  certificates  reduced  to  specie  value,  or  certificates  of 
liquidated  debts  of  the  United  States,"  liable  to  a  reduction 
of  one-third  for  bad  lands  and  all  contingencies.  The  prin 
cipal  of  the  certificates  was  only  to  be  received,  but  military 
bounties  were  admitted,  acre  for  acre,  in  payment  of  one- 
seventh  of  the  lands.  Of  the  whole  amount,  five  hundred 
thousand  dollars  were  to  be  paid  down  ;  another  five  hundred 
thousand  when  the  tract  above  described  should  be  surveyed 
by  the  proper  officer  of  the  United  States,  and  the  remainder 
in  six  equal  semi-annual  instalments,  with  interest  on  the 
sums  clue  from  the  completion  of  the  United  States  survey. 

Congress,  by  their  resolution  of  July  23,  had  stipulated 
for  a  reservation  of  two  townships  to  be  given  perpetually 
for  the  uses  of  an  university,  and  laid  off  by  the  purchasers 
in  good  land  as  near  the  centre  (of  the  whole  tract)  as  might 
be — that  good  and  sufficient  security  be  given  for  the  com 
pletion  of  the  contract — and  that  the  grant  should  be  made 
upon  the  full  payment  of  the  consideration  money,  and  a 
right  of  entry  and  occupancy  be  acquired  immediately  for  so 
much  of  the  tract  as  should  be  agreed  upon  between  the 
Board  of  Treasury  and  the  purchasers. 

On  these  points  the  agents  of  the  Ohio  company  submitted 
the  following  conditions,  and  induced  Congress  to  acquiecse 
in  them  as  modifications  of  the  original  proposition  : 

"  The  lands  assigned  for  the  establishment  of  an  university 
to  be  nearly  as  possible  in  the  centre  of  the  first  million  and 
a  half  of  acres  we  shall  pay  for  ;  for  to  fix  it  in  the  centre  of 
the  proposed  purchase,  might  too  long  defer  the  establishment. 


502  HISTORY    OF    OHIO. 

"  When  the  second  payment  is  made,  the  purchasers  shall 
receive  a  deed  for  as  great  a  quantity  of  land  as  a  million  of 
dollars  will  pay  for,  at  the  price  agreed  on ;  after  which  we  will 
agree  not  to  receive  any  further  deeds  for  any  of  the  lands 
purchased,  only  at  such  periods  and  on  such  conditions  as  may 
be  agreed  on  betwixt  the  board  and  the  purchasers. 

"As  to  the  security,  which  the  act  says  shall  be  good  and 
sufficient,  we  are  unable  to  determine  what  those  terms  may 
mean,  in  the  contemplation  of  Congress,  or  of  your  honorable 
board  ;  we  shall,  therefore,  only  observe  that  our  private  for 
tunes  and  those  of  our  associates  being  embarked  in  the 
support  of  the  purchase,  it  is  not  possible  for  us  to  offer  any 
adequate  security  but  that  of  the  land  itself,  as  is  usual  in 
great  land  purchases. 

"  We  will  agree  so  to  regulate  the  contract  that  we  shall 
never  be  entitled  to  a  right  of  entry  and  occupancy  but  on 
lands  actually  paid  for,  nor  receive  any  deeds  till  our  pay 
ments  amount  to  a  million  of  dollars,  and  then  only  in  pro 
portion  to  said  payment.  The  advance  we  shall  always  be 
under,  without  any  formal  deed,  together  with  the  improve 
ments  made  on  the  lands,  will,  we  presume,  be  ample  secu 
rity,  even  if  it  was  not  the  interest  as  well  as  the  disposition 
of  the  company  to  lay  the  foundation  of  their  establishment 
on  a  sacred  regard  to  the  rights  of  property." 

This  communication  was  dated  July  26 ;  "  Friday,  July 
27,"  as  recorded  in  Dr.  Cutler's  diary,  was  occupied  very 
effectively  in  obtaining  the  consent  of  Congress.  "  I  rose 
very  early  this  morning,"  writes  Cutler,  "  and  after  adjusting 
my  baggage  for  my  return,  (for  I  was  determined  to  leave 
New  York  this  day)  I  set  out  on  a  general  morning  visit,  and 
paid  my  respects  to  all  the  members  of  Congress  in  the  city, 
and  informed  them  of  my  intention  to  leave  the  city  that 


CONTRACTS    WITH   CONGRESS.  503 

day.  My  expectations  of  obtaining  a  contract,  I  told  them, 
were  nearly  at  an  end.  I  should,  however,  wait  the  decision 
of  Congress,  and  if  the  terms  I  had  stated — and  which  I 
conceived  to  be  very  advantageous  to  Congress,  considering 
the  circumstances  of  that  country — were  not  acceded  to, 
we  must  turn  our  attention  to  some  other  part  of  the  country. 
New  York,  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts,  would  sell  us 
lands  at  half  a  dollar,  and  give  us  exclusive  privileges  beyond 
what  we  have  asked  of  Congress.  The  speculating  plan 
concerted  between  the  British  of  Canada  was  now  well 
known.  The  uneasiness  of  the  Kentucky  people,  with  respect 
to  the  Mississippi,  was  notorious.  A  revolt  of  that  country 
from  the  Union,  if  a  war  with  Spain  should  occur,  was  uni 
versally  acknowledged  to  be  highly  probable ;  and  most 
certainly  a  systematic  settlement  in  that  country,  conducted 
by  men  thoroughly  attached  to  the  federal  government,  and 
composed  of  young,  robust  and  hardy  laborers,  who  had  no 
idea  of  any  other  than  the  federal  government,  I  conceived 
to  be  an  object  worthy  of  some  attention." 

Such  tactics  could  hardly  fail  of  success.  Before  the  day 
closed,  the  order  of  July  27th  was  obtained,  of  which  Dr. 
Cutler  remarks  :  "By  this  ordinance  we  obtained  the  grant 
of  near  five  million  of  acres,  amounting  to  three  million  and 
a  half  of  acres  for  the  Ohio  Company,  and  the  remainder 
for  a  private  speculation,  in  which  many  of  the  principal 
characters  of  America  are  concerned.  Without  connecting 
this  speculation,  similar  terms  and  advantages  could  not  have 
been  obtained  for  the  Ohio  Company." 

On  the  27th  of  October,  1787,  the  verbal  arrangement  of 
July  was  consummated  by  two  contracts  of  purchase — the 
first  being  the  actual  transaction  of  the  Massachusetts  associa 
tion,  and  the  other  in  secret  trust  for  William  Duer  and  the 


504  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

"  principal  characters  of  America."  In  both  instruments, 
Cutler  and  Sargent  appear  as  agents  of  the  Ohio  Company. 
Their  first  purchase  began  where  the  Ohio  is  intersected  by 
the  western  boundary  of  the  seventh  range  of  townships,  and 
ran  due  north  on  that  boundary  one  thousand  three  hundred 
and  six  chains  and  twenty-five  links;  thence  due  west,  to 
the  western  boundary  of  the  seventeenth  range  of  townships 
(as  afterwards  surveyed  by  the  government);  thence  due 
south  to  the  Ohio  and  up  the  river  to  the  beginning ;  the 
whole  area  containing  one  million  seven  hundred  and  eighty- 
nine  thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  of 
which  two  hundred  and  eighty-one  thousand  seven  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  constituted  the  reservations  of  the  United 
States. 

The  second  purchase  of  Cutler  and  Sargent  began  at  the 
northeastern  angle  of  the  tract  just  described,  and  ran  due 
north  to  the  northern  boundary  of  the  tenth  township  from 
the  Ohio ;  thence,  due  west  to  the  Scioto ;  thence  down  the 
same  and  up  the  Ohio  to  the  southwestern  angle  of  the  first 
purchase,  and  along  the  western  and  northern  boundaries 
thereof,  to  the  beginning,  the  whole  area  estimated  by  Jeffer 
son,  in  a  communication  from  the  Department  of  State  in 
1791,  to  contain  4,901,480  acres,  including  the  reservations 
of  the  United  States.  Although  Cutler  and  Sargent,  on  the 
29th  of  October,  (two  days  after  their  contracts  with  the 
Board  of  Treasury,)  executed  an  assignment  to  William  Ducr 
and  his  associates  of  a  moiety  of  the  tract  last  described,  and 
the  latter  proceeded  to  organize  a  Scioto  Land  Company,  yet 
they  made  no  payments  either  to  the  Ohio  Company  or  the 
government  in  execution  of  their  agreement,  and  the  lands 
finally  reverted  to  the  United  States. 

The  Ohio  Company  did  not  even  retain  the  whole  of  their 


ORDINANCE    OF    1784.  505 

purchase  proper — the  subject  of  their  first  contract  with  the 
Board  of  Treasury.  By  an  act  of  Congress,  dated  April 
21st,  1792,  it  was  confirmed  so  far  as  to  include  a  tract 
bounded  by  the  Ohio  on  the  south,  the  seventh  range  of  town 
ships  on  the  east,  the  western  bounds  of  the  fifteenth  range 
of  townships  on  the  west,  and  a  line  on  the  north  so  drawn 
as  to  make  seven  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  acres,  besides 
the  reservations  enumerated  in  the  contract  of  October  27th, 
1787.  The  President  of  the  United  States  was  authorized  to 
issue  letters  patent  for  the  tract  above  described,  to  Rufus  Put 
nam,  Manassah  Cutler,  Robert  Oliver  and  Griffin  Green,  in 
trust  for  the  persons  composing  the  Ohio  Company  of  Associ 
ates,  besides  a  tract  of  two  hundred  and  fourteen  thousand 
acres  for  the  liquidation  of  army  bounties  under  the  resolutions 
of  1776  and  1780,  and  a  third  tract  of  one  hundred  thousand 
acres,  which  the  company  received  on  condition  that  they 
would,  within  five  years,  convey  the  same  in  tracts  of  one 
hundred  acres  to  actual  settlers.  The  whole  were  to  be  loca 
ted  with  the  original  purchase  of  a  million  and  a  half  acres. 
The  company  finally  became  possessed  of  nine  hundred  and 
sixty-four  thousand  two  hundred  and  eighty-five  acres.4 

Simultaneously  with  the  cessions  of  the  Atlantic  States, 
the  negotiations  for  the  Indian  title,  and  the  preliminaries  of 
settlement,  Congress  was  engaged  upon  a  scheme  of  republi 
can  government  for  "  the  transmontane  half  of  the  American 
Republic."  Before  the  cession  by  Virginia,  the  subject  had 
been  considered  by  a  committee,  consisting  of  Jefferson  of 
Virginia,  Ilowell  of  Rhode  Island,  and  Chase  of  Maryland ; 
and  on  the  1st  of  March,  1784 — the  date  of  the  Virginia 

4)  A  full  abstract  of  Dr.  Cutler's  Journal  is  given  in  the  Xorth  American 
Review,  for  October,  1841  (vol.  liii.,  331  to  343).    Sec  also  Perkins'  "Western 
Annals,  287  to  202 ;  U.  S.  Land  Laws,  p.  3G2. 
22 


506  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

cession — Thomas  Jefferson,  as  chairman  of  the  committee, 
reported  a  plan  for  the  government  of  the  Western  Territory 
— not  lying  north  of  the  Ohio  merely,  but  the  whole  territory, 
ceded  or  to  be  ceded,  from  the  north  line  of  Florida  to  the 
north  line  of  the  United  States. 

This  plan  proposed  to  divide  the  territory  into  seventeen 
States ;  eight  between  the  Mississippi  and  a  north  and  south 
line  through  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio,  each  to  contain  two  par 
allels  of  latitude,  except  the  northernmost,  which  was  to 
extend  from  the  forty-fifth  parallel  to  the  northern  boundary ; 
eight  more  between  this  line  and  another  parallel  to  it,  drawn 
through  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Kanawha,  to  be  laid  out  in 
plots  corresponding  to  the  first  eight ;  the  remaining  tract 
east  of  this  last  line,  and  between  the  Ohio,  the  Pennsylvania 
boundary  and  Lake  Erie,  to  constitute  the  seventeenth 
State. 

"The  settlers,"  to  repeat  the  language  of  the  report, 
"  shall,  either  on  their  own  petition  or  on  the  order  of  Con 
gress,  receive  authority,  with  appointments  of  time  and  place, 
for  their  free  males,  of  full  age,  to  meet  together  for  the 
purpose  of  establishing  a  temporary  government. 

*  Such  temporary  government  shall  only  continue  in 
force,  in  any  State,  until  it  shall  have  acquired  twenty  thou 
sand  inhabitants ;  when,  giving  due  proof  thereof  to  Congress, 
they  shall  receive  from  them  authority,  with  appointments 
of  time  and  place,  to  call  a  convention  of  representatives,  to 
establish  a  permanent  constitution  and  government  for  them 
selves  :  Provided,  that  both  the  temporary  and  permanent 
governments,  be  established  upon  these  principles  as  their 
basis — 

"  First :  That  they  shall  forever  remain  a  part  of  this 
confederacy  of  the  United  States  of  America. 


ORDINANCE    OF    1784.  507 

"  Second:  That  they  shall  be  subject  to  the  Articles  of 
Confederation  in  all  those  cases  in  which  the  original  States 
shall  be  so  subject,  and  to  all  the  acts  and  ordinances  of  the 
United  States  in  Congress  assembled,  conformable  thereto. 

"  Third:  That  they  in  no  case  shall  interfere  with  the 
primary  disposal  of  the  soil  by  the  United  States  in  Congress 
assembled,  nor  with  the  ordinances  and  regulations  which 
Congress  may  find  necessary,  for  securing  the  title  of  such 
soil  to  the  bona  fide  purchasers. 

"  Fourth :  That  they  shall  be  subject  to  pay  a  part  of  the 
Federal  debts,  contracted  or  to  be  contracted,  to  be  appor 
tioned  on  them  by  Congress,  according  to  the  same  common 
rule  and  measure  by  which  apportionments  thereof  shall  be 
made  on  the  other  States. 

"  Fifth :  That  no  tax  shall  be  imposed  on  lands,  the  prop 
erty  of  the  United  States. 

"  Sixth :  That  their  respective  governments  shall  be  re 
publican. 

"  /Seventh :  That  the  lands  of  non-resident  proprietors 
shall,  in  no  cases,  be  taxed  higher  than  those  of  residents 
within  any  new  State,  before  the  admission  thereof  to  a  vote 
by  its  delegates  in  Congress. 

"  Eighth:  That  after  the  year  1800  of  the  Christian  era, 
there  shall  be  neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude  in 
any  of  the  said  States,  otherwise  than  in  the  punishment  of 
crimes,  whereof  the  party  shall  have  been  duly  convicted  to 
have  been  personally  guilty." 

The  States  thus  authorized,  were  to  be  admitted  by  their 
delegates  into  Congress,  when  any  of  them  should  have,  of 
free  inhabitants,  as  many  as  the  least  numerous  of  the  thirteen 
original  States,  provided  the  consent  of  nine  States  to  such 
admission  was  given.  An  amendment  of  the  Articles  of 


508  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

Confederation,  substituting  the  vote  of  two-thirds  of  the 
States,  wherever  nine  had  been  previously  requisite,  was  also 
proposed.  During  the  temporary  government,  Congress 
might  take  measures  for  the  preservation  of  peace  and  good 
order  among  the  settlers  in  any  of  the  said  new  States ;  and 
the  latter  were  allowed,  before  their  temporary  organization, 
to  "  keep  a  member  in  Congress,  with  a  right  of  debating  but 
not  voting."  The  plan  under  consideration  closed  with  the 
following  provision : 

"  That  the  preceding  articles  shall  be  formed  into  a  charter 
of  compact ;  shall  be  duly  executed  by  the  President  of  the 
United  States  in  Congress  assembled,  under  his  hand,  and 
the  seal  of  the  United  States ;  shall  be  promulgated,  and 
shall  stand  as  fundamental  constitutions  between  the  thirteen 
original  States,  and  each  of  the  several  States  now  newly 
described,  unalterable  from  and  after  the  sale  of  any  part  of 
the  territory  of  such  State,  pursuant  to  this  resolve,  but  by 
the  joint  consent  of  the  United  States  in  Congress  assembled, 
and  of  the  particular  State  within  which  such  alteration  is 
proposed  to  be  made." 

On  the  19th  of  April,   Mr.  Spaight  of  North  Carolina 
moved  that  the  anti-slavery  proviso  be  stricken  out.     Under 
the  Articles  of  Confederation,  which  governed  the  proceed 
ings  of  Congress,  a  majority  of  the  thirteen  States  was  ne 
cessary  to  an  affirmative  decision  of  any  question ;  and  the 
vote  of  no  State  could  be  counted,  unless  represented  by  at 
least  two  delegates. 

The  question  upon  Mr.  Spaight's  motion  was  put  in  this 
form: 

"  Shall  the  words  moved  to  be  struck  out  stand  ?" 

The  vote  stood — 

For  the  Proviso,  six  States,  viz :  New  Hampshire,  Massa- 


ORDINANCE   OP    1784.  509 

chusetts,  Rhode  Island,  Connecticut,  New  York  and  Penn 
sylvania. 

Against  the  Proviso,  three  States,  viz :  Virginia,  Mary 
land  and  South  Carolina. 

Delaware  and  Georgia  were  not  represented.  New  Jer 
sey,  by  Mr.  Dick,  voted  aye,  but  her  vote,  only  one  delegate 
being  present,  could  not  be  counted.  The  vote  of  North 
Carolina  was  divided  —  Mr.  Williamson  voting  aye,  Mr. 
Spaight,  no.  The  vote  of  Virginia  stood  —  Mr.  Jefferson, 
aye,  Messrs.  Hardy  and  Mercer,  no.  Of  the  twenty-three 
delegates  present  and  voting,  sixteen  voted  for,  and  seven 
against  the  proviso,  which  was  thus  defeated  by  a  minority 
vote.  It  so  happened  that  Mr.  Beatty  of  New  Jersey,  the 
colleague  of  Mr.  Dick,  had  left  Congress  a  day  or  two 
before,  and  returned  a  day  or  two  after.  Had  he  been 
present,  or  had  one  of  Mr.  Jefferson's  colleagues  voted  with 
him.  the  result  would  have  been  changed.5 

The  ordinance  of  1784,  with  this  material  omission,  was 
passed  on  the  23d  of  April  following.  In  1785,  Mr.  Jef 
ferson  went  as  minister  to  France,  and  on  the  16th  of 

5)  Journals  Cong.  Confcd.,  vol.  iv.  p.  374  :  See  also  Congressional  Globe, 
1848-9,  Appendix,  294,  Speech  of  John  A.  Dix :  also  Speech  of  S.  P.  Chase, 
on  Mr.  Clay's  Compromise  Resolutions,  in  U.  S.  Senate,  March  26,  1850. 
Besides  the  general  provisions  for  the  division  of  the  Western  Territory, 
Jefferson's  original  draft  designated  the  States  north  of  the  Ohio — ten  in 
number — by  specific  boundaries  and  names.  This  paragraph,  which  the 
committee  suppressed  on  a  recommitment,  was  as  follows : 

"  That  the  territory  northward  of  the  forty-fifth  degree,  that  is  to  say,  of 
the  completion  of  forty-five  degrees  from  the  equator,  and  extending  to  the 
Lake  of  the  Woods,  shall  be  called  Sylvania ;  that  of  the  territory  under  the 
forty-fifth  and  forty-fourth  degrees,  that  which  lies  westward  of  Michigan, 
shall  be  called  Michigania ;  and  that  which  is  eastward  thereof,  within  the 
peninsula  formed  by  the  lakes  and  waters  of  Michigan,  Huron,  St.  Glair, 
and  Erie,  shall  be  called  Chcronesus,  and  shall  include  any  part  of  the  pe 
ninsula  which  may  extend  above  the  forty-fifth  degree.  Of  the  territory 
under  the  forty-third  and  forty-second  degrees,  that  to  the  westward 


510  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

March,  Rufus  King  of  Massachusetts,  preceded  the  assent 
of  his  colleague  and  himself  to  a  cession  of  western  lands  in 
behalf  and  by  the  authority  of  the  State  of  Massachusetts, 
with  a  motion  that  the  following  proposition  be  committed  to 
a  committee  of  the  whole  House : 

"  That  there  shall  be  neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  ser 
vitude  in  any  of  the  States  described  in  the  resolves  of  Con 
gress  of  the  23d  of  April,  1784,  otherwise  than  in  the 
punishment  of  crimes,  whereof  the  party  shall  have  been 
personally  guilty ;  and  that  this  regulation  shall  be  an  arti 
cle  of  compact,  and  remain  a  fundamental  principle  of  the 
constitutions  between  the  thirteen  original  States,  and  each 
of  the  States  described  in  the  said  resolve  of  the  23d  of 
April,  1784." 

The  motion  was  seconded  by  Mr.  Ellery  of  Rhode  Island, 
and  prevailed  by  the  votes  of  New  Hampshire,  Massachu 
setts,  Connecticut,  Rhode  Island,  New  York,  New  Jersey, 
Pennsylvania  and  Maryland — eight;  against  the  votes  of 
Virginia,  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina  and  Georgia — 
four.  Delaware  was  not  represented.  The  vote  of  Mary 
land  was  determined  by  two  ayes  against  one  no,  while  that 

through  which  the  Assenisipi  or  Rock  River  runs,  shall  be  called  Assenisi- 
pia;  and  that  to  the  eastward,  in  which  are  the  fountains  of  the  Muskin- 
gum,  the  two  Miamies  of  Ohio,  the  Wabash,  the  Illinois,  the  Miami  of  the 
Lake,  and  the  Sandusky  Rivers,  shall  be  called  Mesopotamia.  Of  the  terri 
tory  which  lies  under  the  forty-first  and  fortieth  degrees,  the  western, 
through  Avhich  the  river  Illinois  runs,  shall  be  called  Illinoia;  that  next 
adjoining,  to  the  eastward,  Saratoga;  and  that  between  this  last  and  Penn 
sylvania,  and  extending  from  the  Ohio  to  Lake  Erie,  shall  be  called  Wash 
ington.  Of  the  territory  which  lies  under  the  thirty-ninth  and  thirty-eighth 
degrees,  to  which  shall  be  added  so  much  of  the  point  of  land  within  the 
fork  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  as  lies  under  the  thirty-seventh  degree, 
that  to  the  westward,  within  and  adjacent  to  which  are  the  confluences  of 
the  rivers  Wabash,  Shawnee,  Tanisee,  Ohio,  Illinois,  Mississippi  and  Mis 
souri,  shall  be  called  Polypotamia  ;  and  that  to  the  eastward,  farther  up  the 
Ohio,  otherwise  called  the  Pelisipi,  shall  be  called  Pdisipia." 


ORDINANCE    OF    1787.  511 

of  Virginia  was  determined  by  two  noes  against  one  aye — the 
single  affirmative  from  Virginia  being  the  vote  of  Mr.  Gray- 
son,  the  successor  of  Mr.  Jeiferson.6 

The  resolution  of  Mr.  King  differed  from  the  proposition 
of  Mr.  Jefferson,  inasmuch  as  the  prohibition  of  slavery  was 
total  and  immediate,  and  not  deferred  to  the  year  1800: 
but  was  identical  with  it  in  the  extension  of  the  prohibition 
over  the  whole  western  territory,  from  the  thirty-first  par 
allel  of  north  latitude  to  the  northern  boundary  of  the  Uni 
ted  States.  No  expression  could  be  more  conclusive  of  a 
determination  by  the  statesmen  and  patriots  of  the  revolu 
tionary  epoch,  to  confine  slavery  to  the  Atlantic  States. 

The  division  of  States  contemplated  by  the  ordinance  or 
resolution  of  1784,  was  found  inexpedient,  and  an  act  exclu 
sively  applicable  to  the  recent  cessions  by  New  York,  Mas 
sachusetts,  Virginia  and  Connecticut — the  entire  territory 
then  belonging  to  the  United  States — was  proposed  in  Con 
gress,  and  resulted  in  the  celebrated  ordinance  of  July  13, 
1787.  It  was  reported  in  September,  1786,  by  a  commit 
tee  composed  of  Messrs.  Johnson  of  Connecticut,  Pinckney 
of  South  Carolina,  Smith  of  New  York,  Dane  of  Massachu 
setts,  and  Henry  of  Maryland.  Subsequently  it  was  sub 
mitted  to  another  committee,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Carring- 
ton  of  Virginia,  Dane  of  Massachusetts,  R.  H.  Lee  of 
Virginia,  Keen  of  South  Carolina,  and  Smith  of  New  York. 
On  its  final  passage,  the  Ordinance  received  the  unanimous 
vote  of  the  States,  and  with  a  single  exception  from  New 
York,  of  all  the  delegates. 

This  well-known  enactment  organized  a  single  territory 
northwest  of  the  Ohio  and  eastward  of  the  Mississippi,  but 

6)  Journals  Cong.  Confcd.,  vol.  iv.  p.  481. 


512  HISTORY   OF   OHIO. 

subject  to  a  future  division,  if  deemed  expedient  by  Con 
gress,  into  two  districts. 

The  important  principles  of  the  equal  inheritance  of  intes 
tate  estates,  and  the  freedom  of  alienation  by  deed  or  will, 
were  established  and  defined,  with  a  reservation  in  favor  of 
the  laws  and  customs  in  the  French  and  Canadian  settlements. 

A  governor,  for  the  term  of  three  years,  a  secretary  for 
four  years,  and  three  judges  during  good  behavior,  were  to 
be  appointed  by  Congress.  The  governor  was  invested  with 
the  appointment  of  civil  and  military  officers,  and  authorized 
to  establish  the  territorial  divisions  of  counties  and  townships. 
The  legislative  power  was  to  be  exercised  by  the  governor 
and  judges,  by  the  adoption  of  such  laws  of  the  original 
States,  criminal  and  civil,  as  were  suitable  to  the  circum 
stances  of  the  country,  but  which  remained  in  force,  only  on 
condition  that  Congress  and  the  territorial  legislature,  when 
created,  should  approve  thereof.  The  other  powers  of  the 
officers  above  mentioned,  were  not  unusual. 

This  was  only  a  temporary  system,  however.  A  more 
popular  form  would  displace  it,  when  there  should  be  five 
thousand  free  male  inhabitants  of  full  age  in  the  district. 
That  fact  ascertained,  the  people  would  be  authorized  to  elect 
representatives  to  a  Territorial  Legislature,  and  from  their 
nomination  of  ten  persons,  Congress  (or  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  after  the  adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution) 
would  select  five  names,  to  constitute  a  legislative  council. 
The  representatives  were  to  serve  two,  and  councilmen  five 
years — the  two  bodies  constituting  a  Territorial  Legislature, 
with  power  to  make  any  laws,  not  repugnant  to  the  National 
Constitution  or  the  Ordinance  of  1787.  The  judges  were 
thenceforth  to  be  confined  to  purely  judicial  functions.  The 
governor  wras  to  retain  his  appointing  power,  his  general  ex- 


ORDINANCE   OF    1787.  513 

ecutive  authority,  and  to  have  an  absolute  negative  upon  all 
legislative  acts.  By  a  joint  ballot  of  the  council  and  house 
of  representatives,  a  delegate  to  Congress  might  be  chosen, 
with  the  right  of  debate  but  no  vote. 

The  Ordinance  concludes  with  six  articles  of  compact,  be 
tween  the  original  States  and  the  people  and  States  in  the 
Territory,  which  should  forever  remain  unalterable,  unless 
by  common  consent.  The  first  declared  that  no  person,  de 
meaning  himself  in  a  peaceable  and  orderly  manner,  should 
ever  be  molested  on  account  of  his  mode  of  worship  or  reli 
gious  sentiments.  The  second  prohibited  legislative  inter 
ference  with  private  contracts,  and  secured  to  the  inhabitants 
trial  by  jury,  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  a  proportionate  rep 
resentation  of  the  people  in  the  legislature,  judicial  proceed 
ings  according  to  the  course  of  the  common  law,  and  those 
guaranties  of  personal  freedom  and  property,  which  are  enu 
merated  in  the  Bills  of  Rights  of  most  of  the  States.  The 
third  provided  for  the  encouragement  of  schools,  and  for  good 
faith,  justice  and  humanity  towards  the  Indians.  The  fourth 
secured  to  the  new  States,  to  be  erected  out  of  the  territory, 
the  same  privileges  with  the  old  ones ;  imposed  upon  them 
the  same  burdens,  including  responsibility  for  the  federal 
debt;  prohibited  them  from  interfering  with  the  primary 
disposal  of  the  soil  by  the  United  States,  or  taxing  the  public 
lands,  or  taxing  the  lands  of  non-residents  higher  than  those 
of  residents ;  and  established  the  navigable  waters,  leading 
into  the  Mississippi  and  St.  Lawrence,  and  the  portages 
between  them,  as  common  highways  for  the  use  of  all  the 
citizens  of  the  United  States. 

The  fifth  article  related  to  the  formation  of  new  States 
within  the  territory,  and  to  their  admission  into  the  Union. 
There  were  to  be  not  less  than  three  nor  more  than  five  States. 


514  HISTORY    OF   OHIO. 

The  western  State  was  to  include  all  the  country  between  a 
line  from  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash  along  that  river  to  Vin- 
cennes,  and  thence  due  north  to  the  territorial  line,  and  by 
that  line  to  the  Lake  of  the  Woods  and  Mississippi.  The 
middle  State  was  to  comprehend  all  within  a  line  drawn  due 
north  from  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Miami,  to  the  territorial 
line  and  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  western  State.  The 
residue  was  to  constitute  the  eastern  State,  but  Congress 
reserved  the  power  of  forming  one  or  two  States  north  of  an 
east  and  west  line,  drawn  through  the  southern  bend  or  ex 
treme  of  Lake  Michigan.  These  States,  having  a  population 
of  sixty  thousand,  or  at  an  earlier  period,  if  consistent  with 
the  general  interest  of  the  confederacy,  were  to  have  the 
right  of  admission  into  the  Union,  agreeably  to  the  terms  of 
the  Virginia  cession  and  the  resolution  of  October  10th,  1780, 
and  were  to  remain  forever  members  of  the  confederacy. 

The  sixth  and  last  article  was  in  these  words :  "  There 
shall  be  neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude  in  the  said 
territory,  otherwise  than  in  the  punishment  of  crimes,  whereof 
the  party  shall  have  been  duly  convicted.  Provided,  always, 
That  any  person  escaping  into  the  same,  from  whom  labor 
or  service  is  lawfully  claimed  in  any  one  of  the  original  States, 
such  fugitive  may  be  lawfully  reclaimed  and  conveyed  to  the 
person  claiming  his  or  her  labor  or  service  as  aforesaid." 

The  resolutions  of  the  23d  of  April,  1784,  on  the  subject 
of  the  Ordinance,  were  repealed.7 

In  October  following,  Congress  ordered  seven  hundred 
troops  for  the  defence  of  the  western  frontiers  and  to  aid  in 
the  organization  of  civil  authority  under  their  Ordinance  of 
July,  and  on  the  5th  of  the  month,  appointed  General  Arthur 

7)  The  Ordinance  will  be  found  in  Appendix,  No.  xiii.    See  Western  Law 
Journal,  vol.  v.  p.  529. 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  TERRITORY.        515 

St.  Glair,  Governor  of  the  Northwestern  Territory,  associa 
ting  with  him,  Winthrop  Sargent  of  Massachusetts  as  Secre 
tary,  and  Samuel  Holden  Parsons  of  Massachusetts,  James 
Mitchel  Barnum  of  Pennsylvania  and  John  Cleves  Symmes 
of  New  Jersey,  as  Judges  of  the  territory. 

On  the  SEVENTH  OF  APRIL,  1788,  a  party  of  forty-eight 
men,  with  General  Rufus  Putman  at  their  head,  disembarked 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum  River.  They  were  the  pio 
neers  of  the  Ohio  Company,  and  they  had  made  their  voyage 
from  Pittsburgh  in  a  vessel  constructed  for  the  purpose — the 
"Adventure  Galley"  afterwards  called  the  "Mayflower." 
The  aniversary  of  this  interesting  occasion  will  always  be 
cherished,  as  it  is  often  celebrated  by  the  people  of  Ohio. 

On  the  FIFTEENTH  OF  JULY,  Governor  St.  Glair,  who  had 
arrived  at  Fort  llarmar  six  days  before,  was  formally  received 
upon  the  site  of  Marietta — the  "  Seat  of  Government" — by 
the  veteran  Parsons,  the  Secretary  and  Judges  of  the  terri 
tory,  and  an  assemblage  of  inhabitants.  Under  a  bower  of 
foliage,  contributed  by  the  surrounding  forest,  the  Ordinance 
of  IT 87  was  audibly  read — congratulations  exchanged — and 
three  cheers,  startling  the  solitude  of  the  streams,  and  the 
denizens  of  the  wilderness  around  them,  closed  the  simple, 
but  impressive  inauguration  of  Territorial  Government  beyond 
the  Ohio. 


APPENDIX. 


i. 

(Page  21.) 

FURTHER  PARTICULARS  OF  THE  ERIES,  NEUTRALS,  AND 
ANDASTES. 

THE  testimony  of  the  Jesuit  missionaries  confirms  the  opinion  expressed 
in  the  text,  that  the  Neutrals  were  one  of  several  tribes,  that  suffered  from. 
Iroquois  hostility.  In  1054,  Father  Simon  Lc  Moine  visited  the  country  of 
the  Onondaga  Indians,  near  the  mouth  of  Lake  Ontario.  His  party  were 
received  by  some  Iroquois  fishermen ;  and  among  them  was  "  a  Huron  pris 
oner,  and  a  good  Christian,"  and  some  Huron  squaws,  for  the  most  part 
Christian  women,  formerly  rich  and  at  their  case,  whom  captivity  had  re 
duced  to  servitude.  "They  requested  me,"  the  missionary  continues  in  his 
Journal,  "  to  pray  to  God ;  and  I  had  the  consolation  to  confess  there  at 
my  leisure  Hostagehtax,  our  ancient  host  of  the  Petun  nation.  His  senti 
ments  and  devotion  drew  tears  from  my  eyes  :  he  is  the  fruit  of  the  labors 
of  Father  Charles  Gamier,  that  holy  missionary  whose  death  has  been  so 
precious  before  God." 

At  the  principal  Onondaga  village,  the  missionary  met  other  Huron  cap 
tives,  and  names  Terese,  a  good  Christian  woman,  who  had  with  her  a 
young  captive  of  the  Neutral  Nation — de  la  Nation  Neutre — who  became 
"  the  first  adult  baptism  at  Onondago." 

In  a  conference  with  the  Indians,  Le  Moine,  who  bore  a  message  and  va 
rious  presents  from  M.  de  Lauson,  then  Governor  of  New  France,  delivered 
"a  hatchet  to  each  of  the  four  Iroquois  Nations,  for  the  new  war  they  were 
waging  against  the  Cat  Nation,"  with  many  other  references  to  existing 
hostilities.  "Finally,"  he  adds,  "by  the  nineteenth  present,  I  wiped  away 
the  tears  of  all  the  young  warriors  for  the  death  of  their  great  chief  Anne- 
neraos,  a  short  time  prisoner  with  the  Cat  Nation."  In  reply,  a  captain  of 
the  Oneida  Nation  "produced  four  large  belts,  to  thank  Onnontio  (the 
French  Governor)  for  having  encouraged  them  to  fight  bravely  against 

their  new  enemies  of  the  Cat  Nation." 

(517) 


518  APPENDIX. 

Another  Missionary  Journal,  in  10-58,  alludes  to  the  subjugation  of  the 
dreaded  Cat  Nation,  as  having  been  then  accomplished.  See  Documentary 
History  of  New  York,  vol.  i.,  pp.  30,  31,  32,  37. 

A  map  published  in  Amsterdam  in  1720,  founded  on  a  great  variety  of 
memoirs  of  Louisiana,  and  attached  to  a  work  called  Receuil  de  Voyages, 
represents  within  the  present  limits  of  Erie  county,  and  directly  east  of 
"'Lac  San  dou  sfce,"  some  villages  of  the  ':  Juries — Nation  du  chat,'''  adding, 
that  they  were  then  destroyed  (detruite).  See  French's  Historical  Collections 
of  Louisiana,  Part  II. 

There  are  many  traditions  among  the  Senecas  of  a  tribe,  by  them  called 
Kahkwahs,  whose  villages  were  west  of  the  Gencsee,  and  thence  south  to 
the  sources  of  the  Alleghany.  We  suppose  them  to  have  been  the  Andastes, 
who  were  vanquished  by  the  New  York  confederates  in  1072.  H.  K.  School 
craft  (Notes  on  the  Iroquois,  p.  318)  has  preserved  the  following  Seneca  tra 
dition  of  the  Kahkwahs.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  writer  identifies  the  Eries 
with  the  Kahkwahs.  The  terms  may  be  synonymous,  but  if  so,  the  seats 
of  the  Eries  were  certainly  extended  to  the  western  extremity  of  Lake  Erie. 

"  My  inquiries,"  Schoolcraft  proceeds  to  say,  "  were  answered  one  evening 
at  the  mission  house  in  Buffalo,  by  the  Alleghany  chief,  Ila-yek-dyoh-kunh, 
or  the  Wood-cutter,  better  known  by  his  English  name  of  Jacob  Black- 
snake.  He  stated  that  the  Kahkwahs  had  their  chief  residence,  at  the  time 
of  their  final  defeat,  on  the  Eighteen  Mile  Creek.  The  name  by  which  he 
referred  to  them,  in  this  last  place  of  their  residence,  might  be  written  per 
haps  with  more  exactitude  to  the  native  tongue,  Gah-Giccih-ge-o-niih — but 
as  this  compound  word  embraces  the  ideas  of  locality  and  existence  along 
with  their  peculiar  name,  there  is  a  species  of  tautology  in  retaining  the 
two  inflections.  They  are  not  necessary  in  the  English,  and  besides,  in 
common  use,  I  found  them  to  be  generally  dropped,  while  the  sound  of  g 
naturally  changed  in  common  pronunciation  into  that  of  k. 

"  Blacksnake  commenced  by  saying,  that  while  the  Senecas  lived  east  of 
the  Genesee,  they  received  a  challenge  from  the  Kahkwahs  to  try  their  skill 
in  ball-playing  and  athletic  sports.  It  was  accepted,  and  after  due  prelimi 
naries,  the  challengers  came  accompanied  by  their  prime  young  men.  who 
were  held  in  great  repute  as  wrestlers  and  ball  players.  The  old  men 
merely  came  as  witnesses,  while  this  trial  was  made. 

"The  first  trial  consisted  of  ball  playing,  in  which,  after  a  sharp  contest, 
the  young  Senecas  came  off  victorious.  The  next  trial  consisted  of  a  foot 
race  between  two,  which  terminated  also  in  favor  of  the  Senecas.  The 
spirit  of  the  Kahkwas  was  galled  by  these  defeats.  They  immediately  got 
up  another  race  on  the  instant,  which  was  hotly  contested  by  new  runners, 
but  it  ended  in  their  losing  the  race.  Fired  by  these  defeats,  and  still  con 
fident  of  their  superior  strength,  they  proposed  wrestling,  with  the  sanguin 
ary  condition,  that  each  of  the  seconds  should  hold  a  drawn  knife,  and  if 


APPENDIX.  519 

his  principal  was  thrown,  he  should  instantly  plunge  it  into  his  throat  and 
cut  off  his  head.  Under  this  terrible  penalty,  the  struggle  commenced. 
The  wrestlers  were  to  catch  their  holds  as  best  they  could,  but  to  observe 
fair  principles  of  wrestling.  At  length  the  Kahkwah  was  thrown,  and  his 
head  immediatel}"  severed  and  tossed  into  the  air.  It  fell  with  a  rebound, 
and  loud  shouts  proclaimed  the  Senecas  victorious  in  four  trials.  This  ter 
minated  the  sports,  and  the  tribes  returned  to  their  respective  villages. 

':  Some  time  after  this  event,  two  Seneca  hunters  went  out  to  hunt  west 
of  the  Gencsee  River,  and  as  the  custom  is,  built  a  hunting  lodge  of  boughs, 
where  they  rested  at  night.  One  day,  one  of  them  went  alone,  and  having 
walked  a  long  distance,  was  belated  on  his  return.  He  saw,  as  he  cast  his 
eye  to  a  distant  lodge,  a  body  of  the  Kahkwahs  marching  in  the  direction 
of  the  Seneca  towns.  He  ran  to  his  companion,  and  they  instantly  fled  arid 
alarmed  the  Senecas.  They  sent  off  a  messenger  post-haste  to  inform  their 
confederates  towards  the  east,  who  immediately  prepared  to  meet  their  ene 
mies.  After  about  a  day's  march,  they  met  them.  It  was  near  sunset  when 
they  descried  their  camp,  and  they  went  and  encamped  in  the  vicinity.  A 
conference  ensued  in  which  they  settled  the  terms  of  the  battle. 

"The  next  morning  the  Senecas  advanced.  Their  order  of  battle  was 
this.  They  concealed  their  young  men,  who  were  called  by  the  narrator 
burnt  knives,*  telling  them  to  lie  flat,  and  not  rise  and  join  in  the  battle 
until  they  received  the  war  cry,  and  were  ordered  forward.  With  these 
were  left  rolls  of  peeled  bark  to  tic  their  prisoners.  Having  made  this  ar 
rangement,  the  old  warriors  advanced  and  began  the  battle.  The  contest 
was  fierce  and  long,  and  it  varied  much.  Sometimes  they  were  driven 
back,  or  faltered  in  their  line — again  they  advanced,  and  again  faltered. 
This  waving  of  the  lines  to  and  fro,  formed  a  most  striking  feature  in  the 
battle  for  a  long  time.  At  length  the  Senecas  were  driven  back  near  to  the 
point  where  the  young  men  were  concealed.  The  latter  were  alarmed,  and 
cried  out,  '  Now  we  are  killed !'  At  this  moment  the  Seneca  leader  gave 
the  concerted  war-whoop,  and  they  arose  and  joined  in  battle.  The  effects 
of  this  reinforcement,  at  the  time  that  the  enemy  wrerc  fatigued  with  the 
day's  fight,  were  instantaneously  felt.  The  young  Senecas  pressed  on  their 
enemies  with  resistless  energy,  and  after  receiving  a  shower  of  arrows,  beat 
down  their  opponents  with  their  war-clubs,  and  took  a  great  many  prison 
ers.  The  prisoners  were  immediately  bound  with  their  arms  behind,  and 
tied  to  trees.  Nothing  could  resist  their  impetuosity.  The  Kahkwah  chiefs 
determined  to  fly,  and  leave  the  Senecas  masters  of  the  field. 

t:  In  this  hard  and  disastrous  battle,  which  was  fought  by  the  Senecas 
alone,  and  without  aid  from  their  confederates,  the  Kahkwahs  lost  a  very 
great  number  of  their  men.  in  slain  and  prisoners.  But  those  who  fled 

*  A  term  to  denote  their  being  quite  young,  and  used  here  as  a  cant  phrase  for  prime 
young  warriors. 


520  APPENDIX. 

were  not  permitted  to  escape  tinpursued,  and  having  been  reinforced  from 
the  east,  they  followed  them  and  attacked  them  in  their  residence  on  the 
Droseona  (Buffalo  Creek),  and  Eighteen  Mile  Creek,  which  they  were 
obliged  to  abandon,  and  fly  to  the  Oheeo,  the  Seneca  name  for  the  Allc- 
ghany.  The  Senecas  pursued  them,  in  their  canoes,  in  the  descent  of  this 
stream.  They  discovered  their  encampment  on  an  island  in  numbers  su 
perior  to  their  own.  To  deceive  them  the  Senecas,  on  putting  ashore, 
carried  their  canoes  across  a  narrow  peninsula,  by  means  of  which  they 
again  entered  the  river  above.  New  parties  appeared,  to  the  enemy,  to  be 
thus  continually  arriving,  and  led  them  greatly  to  overestimate  their  num 
bers.  This  Avas  at  the  close  of  the  day.  In  the  morning  not  an  enemy  was 
to  be  seen.  The  Erics  had  fled  down  the  river  and  have  never  since  ap 
peared.  It  is  supposed  they  yet  exist  west  of  the  Mississippi. 

"Two  characteristic  traits  of  boasting  happened  in  the  first  great  battle 
above  described.  The  Kahkwah  women  carried  along,  in  the  rear  of  the 
warriors,  packs  of  moccasins  for  the  women  and  children,  whom  they  ex 
pected  to  be  made  captive  in  the  Seneca  villages.  The  Senecas,  on  the 
other  hand,  said  as  they  went  out  to  battle,  '  Let  us  not  fight  them  too  near 
for  fear  of  the  stench,'  alluding  to  the  anticipated  heaps  of  slain. 

"  It  may  here  be  inquired,  perhaps,  whether  the  Kahkwahs  were  not  a 
remnant,  or  at  least  allies  of  the  ancient  Alleghans.  The  French  idea,  that 
the  Eries  were  exterminated,  is  exploded  by  this  tradition  of  Blacksnake, 
at  least  if  we  concede  that  Eric  and  Kahkwah  were  synonyms.  A  people 
who  were  called  Erierions  by  the  Wyandots,  and  Kahkwahs  by  the  Iroquois, 
may  have  had  many  other  names  from  other  tribes.  It  would  contradict 
all  Indian  history,  if  they  had  not  as  many  names  as  there  were  diverse 
nations  to  whom  they  were  known." 


II. 

(Page  57.) 

FRENCH  OCCUPATION  BY  A  PROCESS  VERBAL. 

The  French  government  still  retain  this  rather  theatrical  method  of  as 
serting  their  sovereignty.  When  La  Salle  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Mis 
sissippi,  it  was  with  similar  tokens  that  he  proclaimed  the  dominion  of  his 
royal  master ;  and  recently,  when  a  French  squadron  occupied  New  Cale 
donia,  in  the  Pacific,  it  was  observable  that  the  lapse  of  centuries  had  not 
materially  changed  the  traditional  ceremonies  of  such  an  occasion. 


APPENDIX.  521 

III. 

(Page  64.) 

THE  DELAWARE  VILLAGES  OX  THE  SCIOTO. 

Gist  by  no  means  found  the  bulk  of  the  Delawares  upon  the  "  east  bank 
of  the  Scioto,"  although  "  several  villages"  might  have  been  scattered  along 
its  course.  His  route  was  doubtless  by  the  "  Standing  Stone,"  now  Lancas 
ter,  and  thence  to  the  fertile  Pickaway  Plains,  where  the  Shawanese  were 
afterwards  assembled  in  considerable  force.  When  the  Delaware  chiefs, 
who  were  in  the  American  interest,  visited  Philadelphia  during  the  Revolu 
tion,  they  spoke  of  "  placing  the  Shawanese  in  their  laps" — a  figurative 
expression  for  the  surrender  of  the  Scioto  valley  to  them,  as  they  ascended 
from  the  mouth  of  the  river.  But  the  Delawares  continued  their  occupation 
of  the  region  now  bearing  their  name  in  Ohio ;  and  George  Sanderson, 
Esq..  in  his  "  History  of  the  Early  Settlement  of  Fairfield  county,"  mentions 
them  as  joint  occupants  of  that  vicinity  with  the  Wyandots.  On  a  further 
examination  of  Gen.  Sanderson's  interesting  treatise,  we  have  noticed  that 
lie  thus  obviates  the  difficulties  suggested  in  the  text  (chap.  xi.  p.  160.) 
While  the  Wyandots  occupied  the  present  site  of  Lancaster,  a  Delaware 
chief,  called  Tobey,  ruled  over  a  village,  called  Tobeytown,  near  Royalton. 
The  reader  is  requested  to  note  the  error,  on  page  100. 


IV. 

(Page  88.) 

THE  LOCALITY  OF  THE  CANESADOOHARIE. 

There  are  some  circumstances  mentioned  by  Smith,  which  might  induce 
the  opinion,  that  the  Cancsadooharie  was  the  Huron,  and  not  the  Black 
River.  lie  says  that  it  "  interlocks  with  the  west  branch  of  the  Muskingum, 
runs  nearly  a  north  course  and  empties  into  the  south  side  of  Lake  Erie, 
about  eight  miles  east  from  Sandusky,  or  betwixt  Sandusky  and  Cuyahoga." 
A  Wyandot  camp  would  also  be  more  likely  to  be  found  at  the  mouth  of 
Huron  River.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Falls  of  Canesadooharie,  arc  a  marked 
feature  of  analogy  to  Black  River;  and  a  party  ascending  the  west  branch 
of  Muskingum,  with  Lake  Erie  for  their  destination,  would  hardly  extend 
their  route  to  the  westward  sources  of  the  Mohican  or  west  branch  of  Mus 
kingum,  when  the  Lake  Fork  led  them  northwardly  and  directly  to  their 
destination.  The  mouth  of  Huron  is  certainly  "  about  eight  miles  east  from 
22* 


522  APPENDIX. 

Sandusky,"  while  the  distance  to  Black  River  is  at  least  twenty -five  miles, 
but  this  is  probably  an  inaccuracy  of  Smith's  memory — his  Journal  having 
been  published  after  an  interval  of  more  than  forty  years. 


V. 

(Page  247.) 

CONTEMPORARY  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  INDIAN  HOSTILITIES  OF 

1774. 

In  the  first  volume  of  the  fourth  series  of  the  American  Archives,  occurs 
the  following  contemporary  allusions  to  the  border  war,  commenced  or 
precipitated  by  the  massacre  of  Logan's  family : 

A  communication  to  Lord  Dunmore,  dated  March  24,  1774,  speaks  of  the 
unhappy  murder  near  the  Ohio,  not  long  before,  of  "young  Russell,"  by  a 
Cherokee  chief,  and  anticipates  further  hostilities.  (Page  278.) 

Extracts  are  given  from  a  ':  Journal  of  the  United  Brethren's  Mission  on 
the  Muskingum."  These  mention  a  rumor,  May  6,  1774,  from  Mochicesuny, 
a  Munsie  village,  that  a  Shawanese  chief  was  killed  on  the  Ohio,  by  white 
people,  and  another  wounded.  May  8,  the  journal  states  that  "an  express 
arrived  from  Gekelemuckepuck  with  the  disagreeable  news,  that  the  white 
people  on  the  Ohio  had  killed  nine  Mingoes  and  wounded  two."  (p.  283.) 

May  24,  David  Zeisberger  writes  (p.  284)  that  twenty  Shawanese  warriors 
from  Woakatameka  had  gone  to  make  an  incursion  where  the  Mingoes  were 
killed,  but  that  the  lower  Shawanese  were  peaceable  and  had  protected  the 
traders.  The  missionary  adds,  "  we  are  more  than  200  souls  in  Schocnbrun, 
besides  the  congregation  at  Gnadenhutten." 

John  Heckewelder  was  an  Englishman  by  birth,  and  it  is  barely  possible 
that  he  is  "  the  Cosh,  alias  John  Bull,"  who  thus  writes  from  the  Muskin 
gum  Mission  on  the  24th  of  May  : 

"About  three  weeks  ago,  John  Jungman  and  myself  were  at  Fort  Pitt. 
On  the  way  thither,  we  heard  that  three  Cherokee  Indians,  going  down  the 
river,  had  killed  one  trader  and  wounded  another,  and  plundered  the  canoe : 
the  traders  had  imprudently  shewn  their  silver  things  they  had  for  trading. 
In  the  Fort,  we  heard  that  the  Mingoes  had  stolen  that  night  fifteen  horses, 
and  that  they  were  all  gone  off  from  below  Logtown.  The  white  people 
began  to  be  much  afraid  of  an  Indian  war.  We  hastened  to  get  home  again, 
and  after  our  return,  received  the  news  that  a  company  of  Virginians, 
under  one  Cresap,  enticed  some  of  the  Mingoes,  living  at  the  mouth  of 
Yellow  Creek,  to  the  other  side  of  the  river,  and  gave  them  rum  to  make 
them  clrunkj  and  then  they  killed  five ;  two  others,  crossing  the  river  to 


APPENDIX.  523 

look  after  their  friends,  were  shot  down  as  soon  as  they  came  ashore.  Five 
more  were  going  over  the  river,  whom  they  also  waylaid,  but  the  Indians 
perceiving  them,  turned  their  canoe  to  make  their  escape,  but  being  imme 
diately  fired  at,  two  were  killed  and  two  wounded.  The  day  following  they 
killed  one  Shawanese  and  one  Delaware  Indian,  in  a  canoe  down  the  river 
with  two  traders.  The  same  party  killed  John  Gibson's  wife,  a  Shawanese 
woman ;  they  further  pursued  a  canoe,  killed  a  Shawanese  chief,  and 
wounded  another  man.  They  said  they  would  kill  and  plunder  all  that 
were  going  up  and  down  the  river.  But  they  soon  fled  and  left  the  poor 
settlers  as  victims  to  the  Indians;  many  are  fled  and  left  all  their  effects 
behind.  The  Mingoes  took  their  way  up  Yellow  Creek,  and  struck  our  road 
just  where  it  turns  off  from  the  road  to  Gekdemuckepuck,  where  they 
hunted  for  ten  days  to  catch  some  traders,  but  as  the  Delawares  had  found 
them  out,  they  stopped  the  traders  from  going  that  road.  The  Mingoes 
having  sent  word  to  the  Shawanese,  they  fetched  them  to  their  town,  Woa- 
katameka,  where  they  had  a  council  of  war.  *  *  *  We  are  in  great 
distress,  and  don't  know  what  to  do ;  our  Indians  keep  watch  about  us 
every  night,  and  will  not  let  us  go  out  of  town,  even  not  into  our  corn  fields. 
If  there  should  be  more  bad  news,  we  will  be  forced  to  move  from  here,  for 
we  arc  in  danger  from  both  sides.  I  heard  from  some,  that  if  the  white 
brethren  should  be  forced  to  leave  them,  the  greatest  part  would  return  to 
the  Susquehanna.  But  if  only  the  Delawares  continue  in  their  peaceful 
mind,  it  may  go  better  than  we  now  think.  At  the  council  at  Woakatame- 
ka,  were  several  head  men  of  the  Delawares  present,  who  live  at  Schocn- 
brun  and  Gnadenhiittcn,  being  particularly  sent  for  by  Nelawatenees,  to 
assist  them  in  the  good  work  of  preserving  peace.  The  chief  addressed  the 
Shawanese  and  Mingoes  present  in  a  fatherly  manner,  shewing  unto  them 
the  blessing  of  peace  and  folly  of  war ;  and  pressed  it  very  much  upon  their 
reason,  what  misery  they  would  bring  upon  themselves  and  others  by  their 
madness,  and  told  them  positively  that  they  had  not  to  expect  any  help  or 
assistance  from  the  Delawares,  and  enjoined  them  very  earnestly  not  to 
stop  the  road  to  Philadelphia,  but  to  let  it  be  free  and  open.  The  Shawa 
nese  gave  him  in  answer,  they  did  believe  his  words  to  be  good,  and  they 
would  take  notice  of  them,  and  desired  him  to  give  also  a  fatherly  admoni 
tion  to  their  wives  to  plant  corn  for  them;  which  he  did,  but  they  seemed 
more  inclined  to  move  off  than  to  plant."  (p.  285.) 

May  29,  Arthur  St.  Clair  writes  to  Gov.  Penn  from  Ligonier.  He  had 
lately  been  to  Pittsburgh.  Capt.  White  Eyes  protected  Duncan,  a  trader, 
from  the  hostile  Shawanese,  keeping  him  at  Xewcomerstown.  Cresap  and 
Greathouse  killed  thirteen  Indians.  Cresap  declares  publicly  that  he  acted 
by  Connolly's  orders,  (p.  286.) 

From  a  speech  of  the  Shawanese,  it  appears  that  Cornstalk  sent  his 
brother  to  accompany  and  protect  the  traders  to  Pittsburgh,  (p.  288.) 


524  APPENDIX. 

A  newspaper  publication  at  Philadelphia,  dated  May  23,  1774,  gives  the 
following  version  of  the  affair  at  Yellow  Creek,  on  the  authority  of  "  Capt. 
Crawford  and  Mr.  Neville,  of  Virginia :" 

"  That  a  number  of  Indians  encamped  at  the  mouth  of  Yellow  Creek,  op 
posite  to  which  two  men  named  Greathouse  and  Baker,  with  some  others, 
had  assembled  themselves,  at  a  house  belonging  to  the  said  Baker,  and 
invited  two  men  and  two  women  of  the  Indians  over  the  creek  to  drink 
with  them,  when,  after  making  them  drunk,  they  killed  and  scalped  them  ; 
and  two  more  Indian  men  then  came  over,  who  met  with  the  like  fate. 
After  which  six  of  their  men  came  over  to  seek  their  friends,  and  on  ap 
proaching  the  bank,  where  the  white  men  lay  concealed,  perceived  them, 
and  endeavored  to  retreat  back,  but  received  a  fire  from  the  shore,  Avliich 
killed  two  Indians,  who  fell  in  the  river;  two  fell  dead  in  the  canoc;  and  a 
fifth  was  so  badly  wounded  that  he  could  hardly  crawl  up  the  bank." 
Among  the  unfortunate  sufferers  was  an  Indian  woman,  wife  to  a  white 
man,  one  of  the  traders ;  and  she  had  an  infant  at  her  breast,  which  these 
inhuman  butchers  providentially  spared  and  took  with  them.  Mr.  Neville 
asked  the  man  who  had  the  infant,  if  he  was  not  near  enough  to  have  taken 
its  mother  prisoner  without  killing  her.  He  replied  that  he  was  about  six 
feet  from  her,  when  he  shot  her  exactly  in  the  forehead,  and  cut  the  hoppase 
with  which  the  child's  cradle  hung  at  her  back ;  and  he  thought  to  have 
knocked  out  its  brains,  but  remorse  prevented  him,  on  seeing  the  child  fall 
with  its  mother.  This  party  further  informed  them,  that  after  they  had 
killed  these  Indians,  they  ran  off  with  their  families,  and  that  they  thought 
the  whole  country  was  fled,  as  Cresap,  who  was  the  perpetrator  of  the  first 
offence,  was  then  also  on  his  way  to  Red  Stone,  (p.  345.) 

A  letter  from  Fort  Pitt,  June  19,  1774,  says :  "  We  have  an  account  of 
Logan's  being  returned  to  the  Shawanese  towns,  and  that  he  took  with  him 
thirteen  scalps."  (p.  429.) 

A  letter  from  Pittsburgh,  June  24,  states  that  one  of  the  Shawanese  escort 
of  the  traders  was  shot  near  the  mouth  of  Beaver  Creek,  by  a  party  of 
twelve  whites  sent  out  "by  Connolly,  (p.  449-') 

"  Newcomerstown"  also  mentioned — also  Snakestown,  on  the  Muskin- 
gum.  (p.  464.) 

A  letter  from  Devereux  Smith  (Pittsburgh,  June  10),  mentions  a  com 
plaint  by  the  Shawanese  "  down  the  Ohio,"  that  Connolly's  militia  had  fired 
on  their  camps  at  the  mouth  of  Sawmill  Run,  on  the  25th  of  January — that 
Butler's  canoe  was  attacked  by  the  Chcrokees  on  the  16th  of  April — that  the 
attack  on  the  second  canoe  by  the  whites  under  Cresap,  was  on  the  27th  of 
April ;  and  about  the  same  time  a  party  headed  by  one  Greathouse,  had 
barbarously  murdered  and  scalped  nine  Indians  at  the  house  of  one  Baker, 
near  Yellow  Creek,  about  fifty-five  miles  down  the  river."  The  letter  re 
ports  White  Eyes  as  stating  that  ki  a  Mingo  man  named  Logan  (whose 


APPENDIX.  525 

family  had  been,  murdered  in  the  number),  had  raised  a  party  to  cut 
down  the  Shawanese  town  traders  at  Canoe  Bottom,  on  the  Ilockhock- 
ing  Creek,  where  they  were  pressing  their  peltry.  On  the  Gth  of  June,  an 
account  was  received  of  a  family  of  eight  killed  on  Monongahela  by  Logan's 
party."  (p.  4G7  ) 

The  following  persons,  described  as  "  chiefs  of  the  Delawares,"  concur  in 
pacific  assurances,  dated  li  Newcomerstown,  June  21st,  1774:"  King  New 
comer,  White  Eyes.  Thomas  McKee,  Epaloined,  Neolige,  Killbuck,  William 
Anderson,  and  Simon  Girty.  (p.  545.) 

Carlisle,  June  30.  1774.  "  Logan's  party  has  returned,  and  had  thirteen 
scalps  and  one  prisoner.  Logan  says  he  is  now  satisfied  for  the  loss  of  his 
relations,  and  will  sit  still  until  he  hears  what  the  Long  Knife  (the  Virgini 
ans)  will  say." — (John  Montgomery  to  Gov.  Penn,  p.  546.) 

Speech  of  friendly  Delawares  refers  to  towns  on  Muskingum,  as  Kakdella- 
mapcking,  GnadenMtten  and  Tripiakeng,  and  mentions  a  Shawanese  chief, 
Keesmatela,  as  hostile,  (p.  080.) 

In  a  letter  of  Col.  Wm.  Preston,  dated  Fincastle,  August  13,  1774,  the 
name  of  Jacob  Sodousky  is  mentioned,  as  one  of  a  surveying  party  on  the 
Kentucky  River,  that  had  been  in  danger  from  an  Indian  attack,  (p.  707.) 
It  has  been  supposed  that  the  word  Sandusky  was  derived  from  the  father 
of  this  person,  who  was  a  native  of  Poland,  and  had  traded  in  Northwestern 
Ohio  about  1740,  losing  his  life  while  returning  from  an  excursion  thither; 
but  there  is  evidence  (see  Appendix  No.  I)  that  as  early  as  1720,  Lac  San 
dou  ske  is  found  on  European  maps. 

At  Lord  Dunmore's  conference  with  the  Ohio  Indians  (probably)  at  Fort 
Pitt,  in  October,  King  Custaloga,  and  Captains  White  Eyes  and  Pipe,  Dela 
wares.  and  Captains  Pluggy  and  Big  Apple  Tree,  Mohawks,  were  present. 
There  is  an  allusion,  by  Pipe,  to  the  "  Standing  Stone,  near  the  Lower 
Shawanese  towns" — now  Lancaster,  Fairfield  county. 

During  Dunmore's  campaign,  Capt.  William  Crawford  was  sent  with  a 
detachment  to  destroy  a  Mingo  town.  He  did  so,  making  the  prisoners 
afterwards  taken  to  Pittsburgh. 


VI. 

(Page  263.) 

FURTHER  PARTICULARS  OF  CONNOLLY'S  SCHEME. 

It  is  mentioned  in  Sabine's  American  Loyalists,  p.  225,  that  this  noted 
character  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  bred  a 
physician.  His  Revolutionary  movements  are  thus  detailed  in  American 
Archives.  Fourth  Series : 


526  APPENDIX. 

In  a  letter  to  John  Gibson,  dated  Portsmouth,  August  19,  1775,  Connolly 
urged  the  former  to  "  avoid  an  over-zealous  exertion  of  what  is  now  ridicu 
lously  called  patriotic  spirit ;"  including  a  speech  from  Lord  Dunmore  to 
Captain  White  Eyes,  which  was  immediately  handed  by  Gibson  to  the 
Committee  of  West  Augusta.  (Vol.  iii.  p.  72.) 

On  the  5th  November,  1775,  Lord  Dunmore  commissioned  John  Connolly, 
Lieut.  Col.  of  the  Queen's  Rangers.  Afterwards  Connolly  was  arrested  and 
confined  at  Fredericktown,  Md.  On  the  16th  of  December,  he  wrote  to 
Captain  Lernoult,  at  Detroit,  and  Captain  Lord,  on  the  Illinois,  intimating 
that  his  intention  had  been  to  penetrate  to  Detroit,  and  thence  conduct  an 
expedition  through  Virginia,  thus  dividing  the  Southern  from  the  Northern 
governments.  These  letters  were  sent  by  one  Dr.  Smyth. 

This  J.  F.  D.  Smyth,  in  his  "  Tour,"  says :  ':  It  was  proposed  that  I  should 
pass  through  Pittsburgh,  with  despatches  to  Mr.  McKee,  the  Indian  Super 
intendent,  and  to  some  other  friends  of  Government,  then  proceed  down 
the  river  Ohio  to  the  mouth  of  the  Sciota,  and  from  thence  up  that  river, 
through  the  Shawanese,  Delawares  and  Wyandots,  and  down  Sandusky 
River  to  Sandusky  Old  Fort;  from  thence  I  was  to  cross  Lake  Erie,  by  the 
Rattlesnake  Islands,  to  Detroit:  while  Lieut.  Col.  Connolly  and  a  Mr.  Cam 
eron  were  to  cross  the  Alleghany  River,  at  the  Kittaning,  and  proceed  by 
the  nearest  and  most  direct  route  to  Detroit.  Here  a  very  considerable 
force  was  to  be  collected  from  all  the  nearest  posts  in  Canada,  and  trans 
ported,  early  in  the  spring,  across  the  Lake  Erie  to  Presque  Isle,  where  I 
was  to  be  employed  during  the  winter,  with  a  detachment  of  200  men,  in 
covering  and  conducting  the  building  battcaus,  and  collecting  provisions, 
in  order  to  proceed  by  the  French  Creek,  Venango,  and  the  Alleghany 
River,  to  Pittsburgh."  Here  were  to  be  Head  Quarters,  and  thence  the  de 
sign  was  to  strike  through  Virginia  to  the  Potomac,  or  that  scheme  failing, 
to  fall  down  the  Ohio,  and,  reinforced  by  the  garrison,  artillery  and  stores 
from  Fort  Gage,  at  Kaskaskia  on  the  Illinois,  to  proceed  to  the  Gulf,  and 
thence  join  Lord  Dunmore  at  Norfolk.  (Vol.  iv.  p.  615.) 

Prior  to  the  Revolution,  Connolly,  in  connection  with  one  John  Camp 
bell,  claimed  lands  at  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio  (now  Louisville),  by  grant  of 
Lord  Dunmore,  laid  out  a  town  there,  and  invited  settlers.  The  interests 
of  Campbell  in  this  locality  were  not  forfeited. 

Sabine  states  that  Connolly  was'  at  Detroit  in  1788,  and  that  he  and  other 
disaffected  persons  held  conferences  with  some  of  the  prominent  citizens  of 
the  West  as  to  the  seizure  of  New  Orleans,  and  the  control  of  the  naviga 
tion  of  the  Mississippi  by  force ;  but  were  baffled  by  the  vigilance  of 
Washington. 


APPENDIX.  527 

VII. 

(Pages  267,  310.) 

INCIDENTS  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JAMES  DEAN. 

James  Dean,  the  founder  of  Westmoreland,  New  York,  was  no  less  active 
and  influential  than  Samuel  Kirkland,  in  preserving  the  Oneida  tribe  as  the 
friends  and  allies  of  the  Americans.  His  descendants  arc  still  living  in 
Oneida  county,  upon  a  portion  of  the  tract  allotted  to  their  ancestor  by  his 
Indian  brethren. 

In  the  Fourth  Series  of  the  American  Archives  (vol.  ii.  p.  152),  a  letter  is 
preserved  from  Rev.  Eleazer  Whcelock  to  Gov.  Trumbull  of  Connecticut, 
dated  Dartmouth  College,  March  16,  1775,  in  which,  after  stating  the  high 
importance  of  conciliating  the  Indians,  the  following  passage  occurs  : 

"  I  have  this  spring  sent  Mr.  James  Dean  (who,  among  other  excellent 
qualifications,  is  a  great  master  of  the  language  of  the  Indians  at  Caghna- 
ivaga),  as  a  missionary,  to  itinerate  for  a  short  time  among  the  tribes  in 
Canada.  Ten  of  their  sons  at  Dartmouth — eight  descendants  of  English 
captives,  one  a  son  of  the  chief  Sachem  at  St.  Francis,  and  another,  a 
brother  to  the  youth  who  was  lately  elected  and  crowned  Sachem  at  Cagh- 
nawaga. 

"  Mr.  Dean  was  brought  up  and  naturalized  among  the  Six  Nations ;  is  a 
great  master  of  their  language,  and  much  esteemed  as  an  orator  among 
them  ;  and  his  influence  among  them  I  apprehend  to  be  greater  than  any 
other  man's,  unless  it  be  their  present  Superintendent,  and  is  esteemed  by 
the  best  judges  to  be  a  man  of  genius,  learning,  piety,  and  great  prudence, 
— might  induce  the  Six  Nations  to  join  the  colonies — will  return  as  soon 
as  the  Lake  shall  be  clear  of  ice,"  &c. 

Another  letter  (March  22)  repeats  the  above,  adding  that  Mr.  Dean  could 
also  speak  the  Huron  language — was  early  naturalized  among  the  Indians, 
had  great  interest  in  their  affections,  and  was  the  fittest  man  to  be  employ 
ed  on  behalf  of  the  colonies  among  the  Western  and  Northern  Indians. 

Gov.  Trumbull,  on  the  17th  of  April,  responded  to  these  letters,  that  "the 
ability  and  influence  of  Mr.  Dean  to  attach  the  Six  Nations  to  the  interest 
of  the  colonies,  is  considered  an  instance  of  Divine  favor." 

In  a  letter  of  Volkert  P.  Douw,  to  the  President  of  Congress,  dated  Albany, 
Nov.  G,  1775,  it  is  mentioned  that  Mr.  Dean,  who  was  sent  by  the  Commis 
sioners  of  Indian  Affairs  for  the  Northern  Department,  to  the  Six  Nations, 
had  returned  with  information  that  the  Cayugas,  Mohawks  and  Senecas 
had  taken  up  the  hatchet  against  the  colonies.  (Vol.  iii.  p.  1372.) 

On  the  21st  of  March,  1776,  James  Dean,  in  company  with  the  Oneidas 
and  a  deputation  from  the  seven  tribes  in  Canada,  set  out  from  Kanonwaro- 


528  APPENDIX. 

Tw.ro  to  attend  a  meeting  of  the  Six  Nations,  at  their  Central  Council-House 
at  Onondaga.  They  stopped  at  Kanaghsorage,  a  small  village  inhabited  by 
the  Onondagas  and  Tuscaroras,  about  sixteen  miles  Avcst  of  Oncida.  Here, 
where  they  remained  four  days,  they  heard  that  the  Mohawks  were  deter 
mined  to  kill  Dean.  Little  Abraham,  a  friendly  Mohawk  sachem,  preceded 
the  party  of  Oneidas,  and  dissuaded  his  countrymen  from  their  purpose, 
sending  back  a  message  to  that  effect.  When  it  was  received,  a  council  of 
Oneidas,  Caughnawagas  and  Tuscaroras  Avas  held,  and  it  was  concluded 
best  that  Dean  should  go  on  with  them. 

The  female  governesses  of  the  town,  and  those  who  were  present  from 
Oneida,  hearing  of  this  purpose,  took  the  matter  into  their  consideration, 
and  about  eight  in  the  evening  presented  the  following  speech : 

" Brother:  We,  the  female  governesses,  take  this  opportunity  to  speak  a 
word,  and  let  you  know  our  minds.  In  truth,  our  hearts  have  trembled 
and  our  eyes  have  not  known  sleep  since  you  have  been  here,  while  we 
consider  the  danger  that  appears  to  us  to  threaten  you  at  Onondaga,  and 
the  dreadful  consequences  that  must  ensue,  should  some  fatal  blow  be  given 
you.  We  desire  you  to  consider  well  of  these  things,  and  to  return  back 
from  this  place." 

To  which  the  following  answer  was  made : 

"  Sisters,  Female  Governesses :  I  sincerely  thank  you  for  what  you  have 
said,  and  the  concern  you  appear  to  have  for  my  safety ;  but,  sisters,  pos 
sess  your  minds  in  peace,  and  let  it  not  offend  you  if  I  do  not  comply  with 
your  request.  I  am  sent  by  the  great  men  upon  important  business,  and 
must  proceed  as  far  as  directed." 

Next  morning,  they  started  for  Onondaga,  but  found,  on  approaching 
the  village,  that  it  was  proposed  to  lodge  the  party,  not  altogether,  but  by 
two  or  three  in  a  place.  This  looked  suspicious,  and  they  chose  to  encamp 
in  a  hemlock  grove  near  by. 

On  the  28th,  the  council  commenced  and  continued  until  the  3d  of  April. 
Various  speeches  were  made,  and  a  general  disposition  exhibited  to  observe 
neutrality  between  the  English  and  the  Americans.  (Vol.  v.  p.  1079.) 


Though  not  appurtenant  to  the  foregoing  note,  still  the  reference  on  page 
310,  requires  the  insertion  of  the  following  communication,  descriptive 
of  the  Shawanesc  towns  on  the  Mad  River  and  Upper  Miami,  now  Logan 
county : 

"  HOUSE  or  REPRESENTATIVES, 

"  Columbus,  April  20,  1854. 

"DEAR  SIR:   In  respect  to  the  Indian  localities  of  Logan  county,  the 
most  prominent  was  Wappatomica,  two  miles  south  of  Zanesfielcl.    My 


APPENDIX.  529 

impression  is,  that  it  was  a  Wyandot  town,  or  a  common  rendezvous  for 
Wyandots,  Shawancse  and  Mingoes — Wappatomica  signifying  the  capital 
or  hcnd  town.  Perhaps  the  name,  like  that  of  Wakatomaka  Creek,  in  Mus- 
kinguin  county,  is  of  Shawanese  origin.  The  village  of  Zanesfield,  and  the 
township  of  Zane,  in  the  southeast  corner  of  Logan  county,  are  thus  called 
from  Isaac  Zane,  who  was  an  adopted  member  of  trie  Wyandot  tribe. 

"About  nine  miles  southeast  from  Wappatomica,  and  not  far  from 
King's  Creek,  near  the  line  of  Champaign  county,  was  a  Mingo  village : 
and  such  probably  was  Solomon's  Town,  which  was  on  the  waters  of  Cher 
okee  Man's  Run,  near  the  line  between  McArthur  and  Kichland  townships, 
and  about  nine  miles  northwest  from  Bellefontaine.  It  was  named  from  a 
chief  called  Mohawk  Solomon — a  New  York  or  Mingo  Indian. 

t;  The  Shawanese  towns  were  more  numerous— the  Wyandots  and  Mingoes 
being  sojourners  among  the  Shawanese.  Lewistown,  named  from  a  Capt. 
Lewis,  who  was  living  as  late  as  1820,  was  as  prominent  as  any  other  Shaw 
anese  village.  Lewistown  was  situated  four  miles  south  of  Solomon's 
Town,  and  about  eight  miles  northwest  from  Bellefontaine.  The  Macka- 
cheek  towns  were  two  in  number — one  on  the  west  bank  of  Mad  River,  and 
not  over  three-quarters  of  a  mile  northeast  from  the  present  site  of  West 
Liberty,  and  the  other  about  a  mile  cast  from  the  former  village,  including 
the  farm  of  R.  E.  Runkle,  and  traversed  by  Mackachcek  Creek,  which  runs 
southwestwardly  into  the  Mad  River.  A  mile  and  a  half  south  of  the  village 
last  described,  was  a  mound — still  visible  on  the  farm  of  John  Enoch — from 
the  summit  of  which  Simon  Kenton  was  compelled,  in  1778,  to  run  the 
gauntlet  to  the  Council  House,  at  or  near  the  village.  The  whole  vicinity 
was  an  Indian  settlement,  but  denser  at  the  above  points  than  elsewhere. 

t;  Simon  Kenton  is  buried  about  five  miles  northeast  of  Bellefontaine,  in 
Jefferson  township,  on  the  east  side  of  the  road  leading  from  Zanesfield  to 
Big  Spring,  near  the  line  of  Hardin  county — the  old  Indian  trace  to  the 
Wyandot  towns  of  the  Sandusky.  His  grave  is  situated  on  a  knoll,  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  spot  where  the  closing  years  of  his  life — at  least 
fifteen  years — were  passed.  He  died  in  1830,  and  the  impression  produced 
by  his  appearance  and  conversation  is  among  the  most  cherished  recollec 
tions  of  my  early  life — so  much  so,  that  I  have  deemed  it  my  duty,  as  a 
Representative  of  Logan  county  in  the  current  Legislature,  to  submit  a  bill 
for  the  erection  of  a  monument  to  his  memory,  as  one  of  the  most  marked 
and  noble  characters  in  our  annals. 

"  There  is  a  tradition,  that  there  was  a  Shawanese  settlement  on  the 
creek,  which  rises  within  the  limits  of  Bellefontaine,  and  flows  westwardly 
until  it  falls  into  the  Bokongahelas,  the  latter  being  a  tributary  of  the 
Miami.  This  village  was  called  Blue  Jacket  Town,  probably  from  the 
chief  of  that  name,  but  I  cannot  exactly  identify  its  locality.  It  was 
doubtless  in  Lake  township. 
23 


530  APPENDIX. 

"The  above  are  the  impressions  derived  from  my  personal  recollections, 
and  the  traditions  of  the  first  settlers.  Perhaps  prior  to  1787,  which  I  un 
derstand  to  be  the  period  included  in  your  volume,  the  localities  and  the 
inhabitants  of  these  towns  might  have  been  different;  and  it  is  quite  likely 
that  the  population,  about  this  time  of  the  Revolution,  was  more  exclu 
sively  Shawanese.  Yours,  &c., 

"JOSEPH  NEWELL. 
"  JAMES  "W.  TAYLOR,  Esq." 


VIII. 

(Page  332.) 

NETAWATWES,  AND  OTHER  DELAWARE  CHIEFS. 

Heckewelder  says  (Transactions  of  American  Philosophical  Society,  vol. 
iv.  p.  388)  that  Netawatwcs  had  been  a  signer  of  a  treaty  held  atConestogo, 
near  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  in  1718,  and  was  then  a  young  man,  between 
twenty  or  thirty  years  of  age.  As  an  hereditary  chief  of  the  Turtle  Tribe, 
he  was  intrusted  with  "  all  verbal  speeches,  with  wampum,  bead  vouchers," 
&c.,  from  the  time  of  William  Penn.  He  died  at  a  great  age— upwards  of 
ninety.  He  was  settled  on  the  Cuyahoga,  on  his  first  arrival  in  Ohio,  but 
in  1773  was  on  the  Muskingum,  at  a  point  still  called  from  him,  Newcom 
ers  town. 

WHITE  EYES  or  Coquethagcchton  (as  Heckewelder  writes  his  name) 
succeeded  Netawatwes  in  1776,  or  ';  at  least  accepted  the  appointment  for  a 
limited  time,  and  until  the  young  chief  by  lineal  descent  should  be  of  pro 
per  age."  (See  Biography  in  Am.  Phil.  Trans.,  p.  391.)  His  character  and 
career  are  sufficiently  apparent  from  the  text. 

GELELEMEND  or  Killbuck,  after  the  death  of  White  Eyes  in  1778,  was 
installed  as  temporary  chief  during  the  minority  of  the  heir  of  Netawatwes. 
He  became  a  devoted  adherent  of  the  Americans,  receiving  the  rank  of 
colonel. 

MACHENGIVE  PUSHIS  or  Big  Cat  afterwards  removed  to  the  Auglaisc,  as 
appears  from  the  interesting  narrative  of  John  Brickell,  late  of  Franklin 
county,  who  was  a  captive,  from  1791  to  1795,  among  the  Delawares.  Du 
ring  that  time,  he  was  adopted  as  a  son  by  "  Whingwy  Pooshies  or  Big 
Cat."  (See  Brickell's  Narrative  in  American  Pioneer,  vol.  i.  p.  40.)  His 
description  of  the  parting  with  his  Indian  protector,  when  the  tribe  was 
compelled  to  deliver  their  prisoners,  is  extremely  touching — sufficiently  so 
to  warrant  its  quotation. 

"  On  the  breaking  up  of  spring  |  in  1795J  we  all  went  up  to  Fort  Defiance, 


APPENDIX.  531 

and  on  arriving  on  the  shore  opposite  we  saluted  the  fort  with  a  round  of 
rifles,  and  they  shot  a  cannon  thirteen  times.  We  then  encamped  on  the 
spot.  On  the  same  clay  Whingwy  Pooshies  told  me  I  must  go  over  to  the 
fort.  The  children  hung  around  me  crying,  and  asked  me  if  I  was  going 
to  leave  them  ?  I  told  them  I  did  not  know.  When  we  got  over  to  the  fort, 
and  were  seated  with  the  officers,  Whingwy  Pooshies  told  me  to  stand  up, 
which  I  did;  he  then  rose  and  addressed  me  in  about  these  words :  ;My 
son.  there  are  men  the  same  color  with  yourself.  There  may  be  some  of 
your  kin  there,  or  your  kin  may  be  a  great  way  off  from  you.  You  have 
lived  a  long  time  with  us.  I  call  on  you  to  say  if  I  have  not  been  a  father 
to  you?  if  I  have  not  used  you  as  a  father  would  use  a  son?'  I  said,  'You 
have  used  me  as  well  as  a  father  could  use  a  son.'  He  said,  '  I  am  glad  you 
say  so.  You  have  lived  long  with  me;  you  have  hunted  for  me;  but  our 
treaty  says  you  must  be  free.  If  you  choose  to  go  with  the  people  of  your 
own  color.  I  have  no  right  to  say  a  word,  but  if  you  choose  to  stay  with  me 
your  people  have  no  right  to  speak.  Now  reflect  on  it  and  take  your  choice, 
and  tell  us  as  soon  as  you  make  up  your  mind/ 

>:I  was  silent  a  few  minutes,  in  which  time  it  seemed  as  if  I  thought  of 
almost  every  thing.  I  thought  of  the  children  I  had  just  left  crying ;  I 
thought  of  the  Indians  I  was  attached  to,  and  I  thought  of  my  people  which 
I  remembered  ;  and  this  latter  thought  predominated,  and  I  said,  ;  I  will  go 
with  my  kin.'  The  old  man  then  said,  'I  have  raised  you— I  have  learned 
you  to  hunt.  You  are  a  good  hunter — you  have  been  better  to  me  than  my 
own  sons.  I  am  now  getting  old  and  I  cannot  hunt.  I  thought  you  would 
be  a  support  to  my  age.  I  leaned  on  you  as  on  a  staff.  Now  it  is  broken 
— you  are  going  to  leave  me  and  I  have  no  right  to  say  a  word,  but  I  am 
ruined.'  lie  then  sank  back  in  tears  to  his  scat.  I  heartily  joined  him  in 
his  tears — parted  with  him,  and  have  never  seen  nor  heard  of  him  since." 

Heckewelder  mentions  another  prominent  Delaware,  Tetepachksi,  whoso 
name  will  be  readily  identified  at  the  subsequent  treaties.  In  the  Philo 
sophical  Transactions  (vol.  iv.  p.  391),  the  Moravian  biographer  thus  speaks 
of  him  :  <;  Tetepachksi.  also  called  by  the  whites  the  Glaze  King,  was  for  a 
number  of  years  a  counsellor  of  the  Great  Council  of  the  Turtle  Tribe  at 
Goshacking  (forks  of  the  Muskingum) ;  afterwards  he  became  a  chief  of 
the  Delawares,  who  resided  on  White  River  in  Indiana.  He  was  rather 
timorous,  and  easily  prompted  to  become  jealous  or  mistrustful,  though  he 
meant  no  harm  to  any  body,  and  rather  than  make  a  mistake,  would  leave 
others  to  act  in  his  stead.  Yet  harmless  and  innocent  as  he  was,  he  was 
by  the  prophet  brother  of  Tecumseh  declared  a  witch,  and  condemned  to 
die ;  in  consequence  of  which  sentence,  his  executioners  took  him  to  the 
distance  of  eight  or  ten  miles  from  their  village,  and  there  tomahawked 
him,  and  then  burnt  his  body  on  the  piles. — See  Hecke welder's  Narrative, 


532  APPENDIX. 

page  410."  At  a  treaty  with  the  United  States,  August  18, 180-1,  his  name  is 
written  Tctabuxika. 

HOPOCAN  or  Pipe  appears  seldom,  except  as  narrated  above.  He  signed 
the  treaty  of  Jan.  9,  1789,  at  Fort  Harrnar,  and  is  frequently  mentioned  in 
the  journals  of  the  Marietta  settlers.  He  probably  died  before  the  Treaty 
of  Greenville  in  1795,  as  his  signature  does  not  appear. 

Heekewelder  speaks  of  Newalike  and  Nihmha,  as  chiefs  of  the  Munsie 
tribe  (of  Delawarcs),  at  Minisink  in  Pennsylvania,  afterwards  on  the  Sus- 
quehanna,  and  finally  at  Sandusky. 


IX. 

(Page  376.) 

LEWIS  WETZEL,  THE  BORDERER. 

We  have  been  favored  with  the  following  communication  from  Hon.  E. 
R.  Eckley,  of  Carroll  county ;  which  presents  some  facts  of  the  later  history 
of  this  noted  borderer,  that  are  not  generally  known,  besides  vindicating 
his  memory  in  respect  to  his  Indian  hostilities  : 

':  J.  W.  TAYLOR,  Esq.: 

"  SIR, — In  compliance  with  your  request,  I  send  you  such  facts,  in 
connection  with  the  history  and  services  of  Lewis  Wetzcl,  as  are  in  my 
possession,  or  within  my  power  to  furnish.  I  do  it  with  the  more  pleasure, 
because  it  may  tend  to  wrest  from  oblivion  the  history  of  one  who,  in  that 
stirring  time  in  our  frontier  history,  filled  so  conspicuous  a  place.  The 
date  of  events,  in  the  life  of  that  distinguished  man,  are  now  perhaps  be 
yond  the  reach  of  certainty.  The  date  of  facts  contained  in  this  letter,  I 
cannot  even  approximate.  They  were  given  me  by  my  venerable  father, 
who,  though  cognizant  to  many  of  them,  kept  no  record,  and  would  not 
undertake  to  fix  even  the  year.  He,  at  the  time  Wetzel  was  in  Louisiana, 
was  engaged  in  the  river  trade,  and  Avas  personally  acquainted  with  him  ; 
visited  him  while  in  prison  at  New  Orleans,  also  after  he  was  released  from 
prison,  while  he  lived  with  a  relative  near  Natchez. 

"Lewis  Wetzel  was  supposed  to  have  been  born  in  the  vicinity  of  what 
is  now  the  city  of  Wheeling;  at  all  events,  his  father  occupied  a  small  farm 
at  that  place  when  he  was  a  small  boy.  Of  his  family  I  am  unable  to  learn 
much,  except  that  they  were  comparatively  poor,  which  circumstance  may 
account  for  the  dangers  and  privations  of  a  frontier  life,  to  which  he  and 
his  family  were  exposed.  Wetzcl  had  a  sister  arid  brother  (John  or  Jack) 
who,  with  him,  performed  many  daring  adventures  and  exploits  in  the  spy 
department,  at  that  day  so  important  to  the  defence  of  the  frontier.  In 


APPENDIX.  533 

those  days,  every  frontiersman  man  was,  more  or  less,  a  hero ;  every  fron 
tiersman  was  compelled  to  defend  himself  and  family  against  marauding 
savages,  who  were  constantly  committing  depredations  upon  the  property 
and  persons  of  themselves  and  families.  Such  circumstances,  and  the  ser 
vices  they  were  compelled  to  perform,  inured  them  to  dangers  and  deeds 
of  daring,  that  make  up  that  record  of  thrilling  events  of  which  our  past 
history  is  so  fruitful.  In  the  midst  of  these  stormy  scenes,  Wetzel's  early 
impressions  were  formed;  and  doubtless  from  the  fireside,  on  hearing  tales 
of  daring  adventure  and  personal  courage,  he  conceived  the  idea  of  arrest 
ing  the  savage  on  his  war-path,  and  shivering  from  his  hand  the  deadly 
weapon,  while  aimed  at  the  head  of  helpless  females  and  unsuspecting 
children. 

"  The  first  feat  in  the  life  of  Wetzel,  worthy  of  notice,  that  has  been  pre 
served,  happened  when  he  was  about  sixteen  years  of  age.  A  party  of  In 
dians  had  crossed  the  river  and  stolen  off  several  horses,  and  were  making 
their  way  back  to  their  towns  on  the  Muskingum,  and  further  west.  A 
party  of  the  hardy  pioneers  were  soon  assembled  and  enroute  to  recapture 
the  property  and  bring  the  aggressors  to  justice.  In  the  pursuit  the  party 
passed  the  farm  of  the  elder  Wctzcl.  Lewis  was  engaged  in  cultivating 
a  crop  of  growing  corn.  They  solicited  him  to  join  their  party.  He  had 
been  forbidden  by  his  father  to  leave  his  home,  but  the  adventure  was  too 
great  a  temptation  for  the  spirit  of  young  Wetzel,  and  he  was  easily  per 
suaded  to  join  them.  He  accordingly  took  from  the  plow  a  favorite  mare 
of  his  father's  and  started  in  pursuit  of  the  fugitive  Indians.  They  had 
not  proceeded  far  until  they  came  upon  the  enemy,  who  were  carelessly 
loitering  about  their  camp,  apparently  off  their  guard,  and  probably  think 
ing  they  had  safety  on  their  side,  as  the  Ohio  River  was  between  them  and 
the  neighborhoods  upon  which  they  lately  committed  depredations.  The 
stolen  horses  were  spancelcd  and  grazing  at  a  short  distance.  They  were 
easily  surprised  and  fled,  leaving  the  horses,  which  were  recovered.  The 
party  of  settlers  having  accomplished  their  purpose,  prepared  to  return, 
but  their  horses  were  jaded  and  hungry,  and  they  agreed  that  the  horses 
they  had  rode  should  be  turned  out  to  grass,  three  of  their  number  left  to 
bring  them  after  they  had  refreshed  a  short  time,  and  the  balance  of  the 
company,  with  the  recaptured  horses,  should  commence  their  retreat  back 
to  the  settlements.  They  had  not  proceeded  many  miles  until  they  were 
overtaken  by  the  three  of  their  number  they  had  left  behind  to  bring  their 
horses,  who  informed  them  that  soon  after  their  departure  they  were  sur 
prised  by  the  savages,  who  made  their  appearance  between  them  and  their 
horses,  leaving  them  no  alternative  in  saving  their  lives  but  to  abandon 
everything  and  escape  by  flight,  which  they  succeeded  in  doing,  overtook 
their  companions,  but  left  their  horses  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  A 
parley  was  called,  and  the  hasty  determination  was  soon  formed  to  con- 


534  APPENDIX. 

tinue  their  way  homeward  and  leave  the  Indians  in  possession  of  the 
horses.  To  this  determination  Wetzel  earnestly  remonstrated.  The  loss 
of  a  favorite  animal  improperly  taken  from  home,  the  disappointment  of 
his  first  adventure,  and  the  wrath  of  a  father  whom  he  both  feared  and 
loved,  drove  him  almost  to  desperation.  He  protested  he  would  never 
return  alive  to  his  father  without  the  marc — swore  he  preferred  the  mare 
without  his  scalp,  to  his  scalp  without  the  mare,  and  urged  the  company  to 
return  and  retake  the  horses.  In  this  he  was  overruled  in  council,  against 
which  decision  he  uttered  bitter  anathemas.  He  next  proposed  that  if  only 
one  man  would  join  him  he  would  return  and  contest  the  right  to  the 
horses,  but  no  one,  would  volunteer.  He  then  swore  that  he  would  go  alone, 
that  the  mare  he  must  and  would  have,  and  was  actually  upon  the  point 
of  starting,  when  two  others,  who  had  been  active  in  inducing  him  to  go, 
reluctantly  agreed  to  accompany  him.  The  three  left  their  companions  on 
their  way  to  their  homes,  and  started  back  in  search  of  their  horses.  They 
soon  reached  the  camp  and  found  the  Indians  engaged  at  their  meals  with 
the  horses  safely  secured  at  a  short  distance.  The  Indians  were  three  in 
number,  equal  only  to  themselves,  but  the  companions  of  Wetzel  hesitated 
arid  desired  to  return,  but  Wetzel  counted  chances  and  insisted  upon  suc 
cess.  The  plan  of  attack  was  soon  agreed  upon.  They  were  to  advance  in 
single  file,  Wetzel  in  front,  until  they  passed  two  trees,  behind  which  his 
companions  were  to  ambush.  When  he  reached  the  third  it  was  the  signal 
for  an  attack.  Wetzel  reached  his  tree,  and  discovered  that  the  Indians 
had  also  treed;  but  in  looking  around  for  his  companions  he  found  they 
had  retreated  and  were  nearly  out  of  sight,  at  the  top  of  their  speed.  His 
condition  was  really  critical;  to  come  out  in  an  open  field  was  almost  cer 
tain  death.  His  only  hope  was  in  stratagem.  He  therefore  placed  his  hat 
on  the  end  of  his  ramrod  and  gently  pushed  it  partly  from  behind  the  tree. 
This  was  no  sooner  done  than  all  the  Indians  fired  at  it.  The  hat  was 
literally  riddled,  and  Wetzel,  still  secure  behind  the  tree,  quick  but  cau 
tiously  dropped  it  to  the  ground.  At  this,  the  Indians  believing  they  had 
killed  their  adversary,  all  sprung  from  their  ambush  and  rushed  towards 
him.  Wetzel  now  held  the  trump,  and  taking  advantage  of  the  enemy, 
whose  guns  were  empty,  he  left  his  tree,  and  firing  on  the  foremost  brought 
him  to  the  ground,  and  then,  with  the  fieetness  of  the  wind,  ran  from  the 
scene,  and  was  followed  by  the  survivors.  Wetzel  loaded  as  he  ran,  and 
wheeling  quickly,  fired  into  the  breast  of  the  foremost  savage;  again  ran, 
loaded  and  fired  on  the  last  of  the  Indians,  just  as  he  was  in  the  act  of 
hurling  his  tomahawk  at  the  head  of  Wetzel.  His  fire  was  successful,  and 
the  whole  three  were  thus  dead  on  the  plain.  Wetzel  secured  the  evidence 
of  his  victory,  obtained  the  horses  and  overtook  his  companions  before 
they  had  stopped  for  the  night.  The  exhibition  of  the  bloody  trophies 
of  victory,  and  the  lost  horses  safely  recaptured,  all  in  the  hands  of  their 


APPENDIX.  535 

captor,  a  boy  but  sixteen  years  of  age,  of  course  from  that  time  made  him 
a  hero,  one  whose  counsel  was  sought  by  men  of  riper  years  and  more 
experience. 

'•  The  news  of  this  daring  adventure  very  soon  made  him  the  man  of  the 
frontier,  eminently  qualified  as  a  leader  in  the  spy  department,  in  which 
position  he  and  his  brother  John  rendered  such  important  services  to  the 
then  western  country,  until  Lewis,  feeling  himself  deeply  wounded  by  the 
treatment  of  that  country  for  which  he  had  so  often  risked  his  life,  and  for 
which  he  had  rendered  such  great  services,  left  the  northern  frontier  for 
the  Spanish  province  of  Louisiana.  The  many  hazards  and  adventures  of 
which  Lewis  Wetzel  was  the  hero,  during  his  service  in  the  spy  depart 
ment,  would  fill  a  volume,  and  could  not  be  abridged,  had  I  the  material 
arranged  into  an  ordinary  letter.  And  as  most,  if  not  all  of  his  western 
adventures,  have  been  collected  and  given  to  the  public  by  others  better  able 
to  perform  the  task,  and  as  my  object  is  only  to  embody  the  outlines  of  the 
life  of  one  of  the  daring  spirits  of  the  early  pioneers  of  our  own  land,  I 
pass  over  all  that  interesting,  and  to  the  frontiers  valuable,  part  of  his 
service. 

"  About  the  year  1790,  Wetzel  being  on  what  was  then  called  a  scout,  in 
what  is  now  the  State  of  Ohio,  killed  and  scalped  an  Indian  warrior  on  the 
Tuscarawas  River,  who,  it  was  claimed  by  recent  negotiations  at  Fort  Har- 
mar,  was  protected  from  harm  from  our  spies  and  others  employed  in 
our  defence.  The  Indians  made  bitter  complaints  to  the  commandants  of 
our  forts  and  garrisons,  and  insisted  that  unless  Wetzel  was  punished  they 
would  again  turn  loose  their  horde  of  warriors.  Col.  Harmar  could  not 
do  otherwise  than  offer  a  reward  for  the  arrest  of  Wetzel.  He  accordingly 
offered,  with  great  reluctance,  a  reward  of  two  hundred  dollars  for  the  arrest 
of  a  man  who  had  spent  his  life  in  the  woods,  standing  as  a  bulwark 
between  the  deadly  weapon  of  the  barbarian  and  the  struggling  settlements 
of  the  Christian  frontier ;  a  name  that  was  dear  to  every  man,  woman  and 
child  on  the  whole  line  of  western  settlements  ;  one  whose  deeds  of  daring 
and  adventure  were  taught  to  the  children  in  their  earliest  lispings,  and 
whose  achievements  were  to  fill  the  brightest  page  in  the  history  of  their 
early  and  desperate  struggles.  To  place  a  price  on  a  man  as  a  criminal, 
who  had  made  such  sacrifices,  of  course  met  with  bitter  denunciation  from 
all  who  could  appreciate  his  eminent  services :  particularly  so  when  they 
considered  Wetzel  guilty  of  nothing  criminal  whatever.  True,  he  had  cap 
tured  a  warrior  in  the  woods,  at  a  time  and  under  circumstances  when  he 
(Wetzel)  had  good  reason  to  believe  the  warrior  was  attempting  his  life ;  he 
was  out-generaled  by  this  hero  of  the  forest  and  himself  made  a  victim  to 
his  unconquercd  adversary, — an  Indian  that  belonged  to  a  warlike  tribe;  a 
tribe  that  had  committed  numerous  murders  and  other  depredations  upon 
the  very  settlement  in  which  lived  the  aged  father  and  mother  of  the 


536  APPENDIX. 

daring  Wetzel.  Besides  all  this,  there  was  good  reason  to  believe  this 
identical  warrior  had  been  concerned  in  the  very  outrages  alluded  to.  That 
any  white  man  would  attempt  to  arrest  him,  no  one  believed,  and  that  any 
red  man  could,  the  friends  of  Wetzel  did  not  fear.  To  avoid  the  constant 
clamor  of  the  Indians  for  the  arrest  of  Wetzel,  he  was  advised  by  his 
friends'  to  leave  for  a  time,  until  the  feeling  on  the  part  of  the  Indians 
should  subside.  Wetzel  accordingly,  for  the  last  time,  left  the  humble 
frontier  abode  of  his  venerable  parents,  and  the  place  where  he  had  played 
many  a  tragic  scene  where  life  was  the  stake;  not,  however,  to  arrest  the 
merciless  savage  on  his  mission  of  blood,  but  to  avoid  the  action  of  his 
own  country  which  he  had  so  faithfully  served.  He  proceeded  to  the 
vicinity  of  Cincinnati,  where  he  engaged  in  the  service  of  the  country  as  a 
spy,  going  where  commanded,  and  returning  when  his  mission  was  per 
formed.  He  was  often  heard  to  say  that  no  one  would  ever  attempt  his 
arrest  because  he  had  killed  an  Indian,  but  that  the  love  of  the  reward 
might  find  some  one  heartless  enough  to,  Judas  like,  sacrifice  him  for  the 
money.  Against  the  danger  of  arrest  he  doubtless  felt  secure.  In  his 
security,  however,  he  was  not  safe.  While  he  was  enjoying  the  confidence 
and  receiving  the  admiration  of  all  the  people  of  the  west,  Col.  Parks  was 
ordered  to  remove  with  two  hundred  men  from  Louisville  to  Fort  Pitt.  He 
stopped  at  Fort  Washington  (Cincinnati)  with  his  keel-boats,  in  which  he 
was  transporting  his  troops.  Wetzel  was  there,  and  from  a  regard  for  his 
duty,  or  some  other  cause,  he  ordered  a  file  of  his  men  to  arrest  Wetzel, 
which,  after  a  violent  opposition,  they  succeeded  in  doing,  and  he  was  placed 
in  irons  and  dragged  on  board  the  boats.  The  people  of  Cincinnati  made 
every  exertion  to  procure  his  release.  But  to  the  efforts  and  appeals  of  the 
people  in  behalf  of  Wetzel,  Col.  Parks  was  immovable,  and  with  a  stoic 
coldness,  informed  them  that  Wet/:el  must  be  delivered  to  the  officers  of 
justice.  Finding  that  nothing  but  force  could  procure  his  release,  they, 
during  the  night,  rallied  the  entire  force  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  and  at 
the  dawn  of  day  next  morning,  five  hundred  strong  men,  under  arms, 
marched  to  the  boats  and  peremptorily  demanded  the  release  of  Wetzel. 
Parks  at  first  refused,  but  he  was  informed  by  their  leader  that  if  he  did  not 
deliver  Wetzel  in  ten  minutes  he  would  sink  his  boats  and  take  Wretzel  by 
force.  The  ferocious  spirit  of  the  people,  and  the  determination  of  their 
leader,  compelled  Parks  to  knock  the  irons  off  of  Wetzel  and  surrender 
him  to  his  friends. 

"  At  this  conduct  of  his  countrymen,  Wetzel  was  deeply  mortified,  and  to 
avoid  Avhat  he  called  the  persecution  of  his  own  people,  he  declared  his 
determination  of  immediately  leaving  the  country  for  ever.  Accordingly 
he  left,  the  first  opportunity,  for  the  Spanish  province  of  Louisiana.  He 
stopped  at  Natchez,  and  at  once  engaged  in  his  favorite  business  of  frontier 
service,  and  soon  became  a  general  favorite  with  the  settlers.  In  his  new 


APPENDIX.  537 

home.  Wetzel  appeared  to  have  every  thing  to  make  it  comfortable,  and 
the  change  from  his  native  to  his  adopted  country  appeared  a  happy  one. 
But  the  smooth  current  of  his  life  was  doomed  soon  again  to  be  ruffled, 
and  his  meridian  sun  again  obscured  by  the  clouds  of  trouble. 

Wetzcl  was  an  unlettered  man,  and  his  whole  life  proved  his  character 
of  unbending  integrity.  Placing  no  value  upon  money,  none  believed  that 
he  would  do  a  dishonest  act  for  mere  gain.  But  notwithstanding  his 
character  and  the  circumstances  of  his  life,  he  was  arrested  for  counter 
feiting  the  coin  of  the  king. 

<•  A  man  by  the  name  of  Piatt,  from  near  Pittsburgh,  who  had  for  some 
cause  sought  refuge  in  Louisiana,  was  the  accuser  of  poor  Wetzel.  Whether 
lie  was  actuated  by  motives  of  malice,  self-protection,  or  other  cause,  is, 
and  perhaps  ever  will  be,  locked  up  in  the  secrets  of  the  past.  That  an 
unlettered  man,  like  Wetzel,  could  counterfeit,  was  he  ever  so  willing,  was 
preposterous.  Besides,  all  who  knew  him  were  confident  he  would  not  do 
it  if  he  could.  But,  upon  the  testimony  of  Piatt,  he  was  convicted  and 
sentenced  to  the  calaboose  at  New  Orleans. 

'•The  news  of  Wetzel's  misfortunes  soon  reached  the  upper  country,  and 
the  first  office  of  the  western  boatman,  on  reaching  New  Orleans,  was  to 
visit  the  prison  of  poor  Wetzel  and  offer  whatever  was  in  his  power  for  his 
comfort  and  relief.  Petition  after  petition  was  sent  to  the  Spanish  Gover 
nor,  praying  for  his  release,  but  without  effect.  Col.  Richard  Brown,  and 
the  Hon.  F.  McGuire,  both  distinguished  men  at  that  day  in  Western  Vir 
ginia,  upon  their  own  personal  responsibility,  at  different  times,  offered  the 
Governor  two  thousand  dollars  for  his  release.  The  Governor,  placing  it 
on  the  grounds  of  having  no  discretion  in  the  matter,  declined  a  compli 
ance  with  their  request;  expressing,  at  the  same  time,  a  desire  for  Wetzel's 
relief,  but  refusing  a  pardon,  on  the  grounds  that  his  sovereign  required 
the  judgments  of  his  majesty's  courts  executed  to  the  letter. 

"In  that  dark  and  loathsome  prison,  denied  of  all  the  comforts  of  life, 
even  the  light  of  heaven,  did  the  poor  sufferer  drag  out  four  years  and  a 
half  of  his  mortal  existence,  with  no  other  inmates  than  the  meanest 
malefactors  that  were  ever  incarcerated  for  crime.  Hope  of  obtaining  his 
liberty  had  fled.  His  friends  that  had  previously  made  such  disinterested 
and  noble  efforts  for  his  relief,  had  long  since  given  over  in  despair,  or 
regarded  him  as  having  fell  a  victim  to  his  confinement,  and  by  that 
unwelcome  monster  been  released  from  his  chains.  Wetzel  regarded  him 
self,  for  the  balance  of  his  days,  as  a  permanent  fixture  to  the  damp  floor 
of  his  prison,  and  almost  ceased  to  pray  for  liberty. 

"  While  Wetzel  was  counting  with  fevered  anxiety  every  day  as  it  passed, 
as  bringing  him  nearer  the  day  of  his  deliverance  from  his  miserable  and 
loathsome  dungeon  '  to  that  house  not  made  with  hands,'  the  light  of  hope 
suddenly  broke  upon  the  solitude  of  his  cell.  Previous  to  this  time,  there 


538  APPENDIX. 

existed  in  Western  Pennsylvania,  what  was  familiarly  known  as  the  Whisky 
Insurrection.  One  of  the  leaders  of  the  insurgents  was  General  Bradford 
of  Pennsylvania,  who  was  prosecuted  for  resisting  the  execution  of  the 
laws,  and  to  avoid  which  he  fled  to  Louisiana.  Bradford  was  a  man  of 
education,  talents,  and  fine  address.  He  claimed  the  protection  of  the 
Spanish  Governor,  and  soon  became  a  favorite  at  his  court.  He  soon 
learned  the  condition  of  Wetzel.  He  knew  his  former  character  and  great 
services,  and  deeply  sympathized  with  him  in  his  misfortunes.  Bradford 
immediately  set  himself  about  procuring  the  release  of  his  old  friend  and 
countryman  from  that  loathsome  prison  house  in  which  he  was  dying  by 
the  inch.  He  approached  the  Governor  in  person,  in  behalf  of  Wetzel. 
He  represented  his  services,  his  sufferings,  and  former  good  character,  and 
soon  found  that  the  kind  nature  of  the  Governor,  too,  sympathized  with  the 
unfortunate  prisoner  in  his  sufferings.  Bradford's  hopes  of  success  soon 
ripened  into  reality,  and  through  him  Wetzel  once  more  enjoyed  his 
liberty. 

"In  those  days  a  story  was  current,  concerning  the  manner  in  which 
Bradford  effected  the  release  of  Wetzel,  that  savored  strongly  of  the  mar 
velous.  The  Governor,  it  was  said,  through  fear  of  his  sovereign,  refused 
to  exercise  the  pardoning  power,  although  he  very  much  desired  that 
Wetzel  should  be  discharged  from  imprisonment;  and  to  supply  the  want 
of  unbiassed  power,  resort  was  had  to  stratagem.  The  plan  was  briefly  this : 
Wetzel  was  to  feign  himself  sick ;  a  report  was  to  be  put  in  circulation  that 
he  had  died :  a  coffin-maker  and  undertaker  was  to  be  called  on.  His  body 
was  coffined  and  carried  out  of  the  prison  and  delivered  to  his  friends, 
amongst  whom  was  Bradford,  and  by  them  carried  out  of  the  city,  where 
the  dead  man  was  taken  alive  out  of  the  coffin  and  it  sunk  in  the  Mississippi. 
Wetzel  was  conveyed  to  Natchez,  and  was  taken  into  the  family  of  a  rela 
tive  of  his,  who  was  a  wealthy  planter  near  that  place.  Whether  this  story 
Vfas  true  or  not,  could  make  but  little  difference  to  the  unfortunate  victim 
of  circumstances ;  but  the  facts,  about  which  there  is  no  dispute,  give  it  the 
color  of  probability.  Certain  it  was  that  Wetzel  was  taken  from  prison  to 
Natchez,  where  he  lived  for  a  number  of  years  in  the  family  of  a  Mr. 
Sicks,  a  cousin  of  Wetzel's.  His  long  confinement  in  the  damp  and 
unhealthy  prison  had  undermined  his  constitution  and  rendered  him  unfit 
for  his  former  vocation  of  frontier  service.  From  long  inactivity,  his  limbs 
had  grown  stiff  and  clumsy;  his  stalwart  arms  had  lost  their  strength,  and 
his  whole  system  lacked  the  physical  power  to  qualify  him  for  the  woods. 
He  was  kindly  treated  and  cared  for  by  his  friends,  working  when  it  suited 
him  and  playing  when  he  pleased. 

"After  the  purchase  of  Louisiana  by  the  United  States,  Sicks  removed 
on  to  the  Brasos,  in  Texas,  taking  Wetzel  with  him.  He  remained  a  mem 
ber  of  the  family  of  his  friend  for  a  number  of  years,  gradually  yielding 


APPENDIX.  539 

to  the  encroachments  of  disease,  until  his  powerful  form  could  resist  no 
longer,  when  he  died.  On  the  banks  of  the  Brasos,  in  the  yet  far  distant 
wilderness,  sleeps,  without  mark  or  monument,  the  ashes  of  the  intrepid 
scout,  the  fearless  and  gallant  spy.  Who  can  listen  to  the  winds  as  they 
moan  among  the  branches  that  overhang  his  grave,  and  reflect  upon  the 
services,  persecutions  and  sufferings  of  the  fearless  spirit  that  once  animated 
the  entombed  remains,  without  shedding  a  tear  of  sympathy  for  the  name 
of  LEWIS  WETZEL? 

':  Wetzcl  never  could  forget  the  wrongs  he  had  suffered  from  his  own 
country  and  countrymen.  Piatt,  in  particular,  he  denounced  as  a  villain. 
Inasmuch  as  he  (Piatt)  is  one  of  the  prominent  characters  mentioned  in 
this  letter,  a  brief  notice  of  his  career  and  end  might,  by  the  curious,  be 
desirable. 

':  After  the  conviction  of  Wetzel,  Piatt  was  arrested  for  killing  an  Indian 
on  Red  River,  was  tried,  convicted,  and  placed  in  the  calaboose  at  New 
Orleans,  where  he  remained  nine  years,  and  was  then  taken  out  and  hung. 

li  I  have  thus  given  you  all  the  facts  within  my  knowledge,  not  already 
before  the  public.  I  regret  my  inability  to  fix  dates,  but  I  have  given  cer 
tain  historical  events,  about  the  date  of  which  there  is  no  dispute,  from. 
which  to  infer  the  date  of  the  events  mentioned  in  the  letter. 

"Yours,  truly,  &c., 

"E.  R.  ECKLEY." 


X 

(Page  411.) 

SURRENDER  OF  THE  MORAVIAN  TRACT  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Articles  of  agreement  made  and  concluded  at  Gnadenhiitten,  in  the  county 
of  Tuscarawas,  and  State  of  Ohio,  between  Lewis  Cass,  on  the  one  part, 
of  the  United  States,  being  thereto  specially  authorized  by  the  President 
of  the  United  States,  and  Lewis  D.  Schweinitz,  on  the  part  of  the  Society 
of  the  United  Brethren  for  propagating  the  Gospel  among  the  Heathen, 
being  thereto  specially  authorized  by  the  said  Society. 

I.  The  said  Society  agree  to  rctrocede  to  the  United  States  the  three 
tracts  of  land,  lying  on  the  Muskingum  River,  in  the  county  of  Tuscarawas, 
and  State  of  Ohio,  containing  each  four  thousand  acres;  which  said  tracts 
of  land  were  granted  to  the  said  Society  by  patent  from  the  United  States, 
on  the  24th  day  of  February,  1798,  for  certain  purposes  therein  expressed, 
which  will  more  fully  appear  by  reference  to  the  said  patent,  and  to  the  act 
of  Congress  of  June  1st.  17%.  entitled  ;<  An  act  regulating  the  grants  of  land 
appropriated  for  military  services,  and  for  the  Society  of  the  United  Brcth- 


540  APPENDIX. 

ren  for  propagating  the  Gospel  among  the  Heathen,"  by  authority  of  which 
act,  said  patent  was  issued. 

The  conveyance  required  by  this  article  shall  be  made  by  a  good  arid 
sufficient  deed,  at  the  expense  of  the  said  Society,  as  soon  after  the  ratifi 
cation  of  this  agreement  as  possible ;  which  deed  shall  convey  to  the  United 
States  all  the  right  and  title  vested  in  the  said  Society  by  the  patent  and 
act  of  Congress  aforesaid. 

II.  The  schedule  hereunto  annexed,  contains  a  descriptive  list  of  all  the 
leases  which  have  been  granted  by  said  Society,  together  with  the  number 
of  the  lots,  and  the  quantity  of  acres  granted  to  each  person,  the  com 
mencement  and  expiration  of  the  lease,  and  the  rent  which  each  tenant  is 
bound  to  pay.    These  leases,  as  soon  as  this  agreement  is  ratified,  shall,  by 
a  sufficient  conveyance  in  law,  be  assigned  by  the  said  Society  to  the  Uni 
ted  States,  after  which  the  rights  and  duties  created  by  the  said  leases  shall 
be  vested  in,  and  performed  by  the  United  States. 

III.  Whereas,   by  the  documents   which  accompanied   the  President's 
message  to  the  Senate,  of  December  9th.  1822,  it  appears  that  the  sum  of 
$43,356  was  actually  expended  by  the  said  Society  upon  the  objects  con 
nected  with  the  trust  created  by  the  acceptance  of  the  said  patent,  to  the 
21st  of  August,  1822,  and  that  the  whole  receipts  from  the  said  land  were 
$9,998.581  cents,  leaving  a  balance  due  to  the  said  Society  of  $32,587.501 
cents,  of  which  sum  $15.510.10^  cents  were  actually  expended  in  procuring 
the  title  of  the  said  land,  and  in  surveying  the  same  (the  repayment  of 
which,  amounting  now,  with  the  interest,  to  $2,596.13  cents,  was  guarantied 
by  the  ordinance  of  Congress,  of  September  3d,  1788),  and  in  the  settlement 
at  an  early  period  of  these  remote  tracts,  being  more  than  seventy  miles 
distant  from  the  nearest  white  settlement,  in  cutting  roads,  building  tem 
porary  mills,  and  making  other  improvements,  which  have  greatly  added 
to  the  value  of  the  said  lands,  all  which  will  more  fully  appear  by  a  refer 
ence  to  the  said  documents ;  and,  whereas,  the  committee  of  the  Senate,  to 
whom  the  said  documents  were  referred,  state  that  "  it  appears  satisfacto 
rily  to  the  committee,  that  the  Society,  ever  since  they  assumed  the  trust, 
have,  under  circumstances  of  great  difficulty  and  embarrassment,  exerted 
their  best  endeavors  to  effect  the  great  and  benevolent  purposes  of  civiliz 
ing,  improving,  and  protecting  the  Indians  thus  placed  under  their  charge, 
and  have,  with  persevering  industry,  care,  and  fidelity,  performed  the  duty 
and  trust  reposed  in  them  by  Congress;"  and,  whereas,  by  an  account  this 
day  exhibited  by  the  treasurer  of  said  Society,  it  appears  that  the  said  three 
tracts  of  land  are  actually  holden  for  the  payment  of  a  debt  of  60,051.25 
cents,  being  part  of  the  said  sum  of  815.810.10^  cents,  expended  as  afore 
said:  Now,  therefore,  it  is  reasonable,  and  it  is  hereby  agreed,  that  the  sum 
of  six  thousand  six  hundred  and  fifty-four  dollars  and  twenty-five  cents, 
shall  be  paid  by  the  United  States  to  the  said  Society,  out  of  the  first  pro- 


APPENDIX.  541 

ceecls  of  the  sales  of  the  said  land,  in  full  consideration  of  the  retrocession 
hereby  made,  and  of  all  the  expenses  which  the  said  Society  have  incurred 
in  the  execution  of  the  trust  aforesaid,  in  relation  to  the  said  land. 

IV.  It  is  also  agreed  that  ten  acres  of  ground,  including   the  church, 
called  Bcersheba,  and  the  grave  yard,  on  the  Gnadenhiitten  tract :  and,  also, 
the  church  lot,  parsonage  houses,  and  grave  yard  in  the  town  of  Gnaden 
hiitten  :  the  house  and  lot  occupied  by  John  G.  Demuth ;  the  house  and  lot 
occupied  by  David  Peter,  both  which  lots  are  about  five  rods  in  front  by 
sixteen  rods  in  depth ;  and  the  house  and  lot  occupied  by  Frederick  Dell, 
which  lot  does  not  exceed  two  acres  ;  and,  also,  the  Missionary  house  and 
grave  van!  at  Goshen :  shall  be  conveyed,  by  the  United  States,  in  perpetu 
ity  to  the  said  Society,  free  from  any  condition  or  limitation  whatever. 

V.  Whereas,  John  Andreas,  Neigaman,  Jacob  Winsch,  and  Catharine 
Tschudy.  have  erected  houses  in  the  town  of  Gnadenhiitten  upon  lots  of 
five  by  fifteen  rods,  under  leases  from  the  said  Society,  conditioned  for  the 
payment,  the  two  former  of  the  annual  rent  of  $1.65  cents  each  ;  and  the 
two  latter  of  $3.00  cents  each,  with  an  understanding  that  the  said  lessees 
should  hold  the  said  lots,  as  long  as  they  complied  with  the  conditions  of 
the  lease,  and  should  also  be  allowed  the  privilege  of  selling  the  same  at 
their  option ;  it  is  therefore  agreed,  that  the  said  John  Andreas,  John  Xeiga- 
man,  Jacob  Winsch,  and  Catharine  Tschudy,  shall  be  allowed  a  preemption 
right  to  the  said  lots,  to  be  exercised  in  such  manner  as  may  be  determined 
by  the  United  States. 

VI.  Five  of  the  leases,  yet  unexpired.  to  wit :  those  to  Isaac  Simmers, 
Jesse  Walton,  Barzillai  Walton,  and  Boaz  Walton,  on  the  Gnadenhiitten 
tract,  and  to  Jesse  Hill,  on  the  Salem  tract,  contain  clauses  for  the  payment 
of  such  sums,  as  may  be  awarded  to  them  in  the  mode  pointed  out  by  the 
said  leases,  for  certain  improvements  upon  the  tracts  leased  to  them.    It  is 
therefore  agreed,  that  a  sum  not  exceeding  one  thousand  eight  hundred 
dollars  shall  be  paid,  by  the  United  States,  out  of  the  proceeds  of  the  said 
land,  should  that  amount  be  awarded  to  the  said  persons.    But  should  the 
amount  awarded  to  them  fall  short  of  them,  then  the  United  States  shall 
be  held  to  pay  only  the  amount  actually  awarded.    Joseph  Rhoads  having 
leased  a  lot  for  the  term  of  thirty-three  years,  from  the  1st  of  April,  1821,  and 
having  advanced  to  the  said  Society  the  consideration  therefor,  amounting 
to  S21G.25  cents,  under  an  agreement  that  the  same,  at  the  expiration  of 
the  lease,  shall  be  refunded  to  the  said  Rhoads,  without  interest,  the  said 
Society  agree  to  procure  a  surrender  to  the  United  States  of  the  said  lease 
within  the  term  of  four  years,  and  to  save  the  United  States  harmless  from 
the  effect  of  any  stipulation  in  the  said  lease. 

VII.  It  is  expressly  understood  and  declared,  that  this  agreemcnt,-and 
every  part  thereof,  is  to  be  null  and  void,  unless  the  assent  of  those  persons 
can  be  obtained,  for  whose  benefit  the  trust  specified  in  the  said  act  of 


542  APPENDIX. 

Congress,  was  created,  and  who  are  in  the  said  patent  declared  to  be  the 
"  Christian  Indians  who  were  formerly  settled  there,  or  the  remains  of  that 
Society,  including  Killbuck  and  his  descendants,  and  the  nephew  and  descen 
dants  of  the  late  Captain  White  Eyes,  Delaware  Chiefs,"  or  such  persons  as  are 
now  entitled  to  the  benefits  of  the  trust.  It  being  the  intention  of  the  parties 
hereunto  that  no  responsibility  shall  be  incurred  by  the  said  Society  in  con 
sequence  of  the  retrocession  herein  provided  for.  The  motives  of  the  Soci 
ety  being  to  divest  themselves  of  a  trust  burdensome  to  them  and  useless 
to  the  Indians,  that  their  funds  devoted  to  charitable  purposes  may  be 
applied  where  there  is  a  prospect  that  they  will  produce  some  permanent 
advantage. 

VIII.  This  agreement,  after  the  same  shall  be  ratified  by  the  United 
States,  and  by  the  said  Society,  and  after  the  assent  aforesaid  shall  be  ob 
tained,  shall  be  obligatory  on  the  parties  hereunto. 

LEWIS  CASS, 

LEWIS  D.  DE  SCHWEINITZ. 
GNADENHUTTEN,  AUGUST  4th,  1823. 

I  do  hereby  certify  that  the  above  is  a  true  copy  of  the  original. 

JACOB  KUMMER, 

Secretary  of  the  Society. 

Whereas,  at  a  stated  annual  meeting  of  the  Society  of  United  Brethren 
for  promulgating  the  Gospel  among  the  Heathen,  held  at  Bethlehem,  on 
the  twenty-sixth  day  of  September,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  twenty-three,  agreeable  to  adjournment,  duly  notified  to 
the  members  of  said  Society  by  the  President  and  Directors  thereof,  an 
agreement  made  and  entered  into  on  the  fourth  day  of  August  last,  at 
Gnadenhiitten,  Tuscarawas  county,  State  of  Ohio,  between  Lewis  D.  de 
Schweinitz,  as  Agent  of  said  Society,  thereunto  specially  authorized  by  said 
Society,  and  Lewis  Cass,  as  Agent  of  the  United  States,  thereunto  specially 
authorized  by  the  President  of  the  United  States,  whereof  the  foregoing  is  a 
certified  copy  was  submitted  to  the  said  Society  for  consideration  and  rat;fi- 
cation,  whereupon  the  same  was  by  a  unanimous  vote  of  said  Society  duly 
accepted,  confirmed,  and  ratified.  Now,  therefore,  we,  the  President  and 
Secretary  of  the  said  Society,  do,  by  these  presents,  certify  that  the  said 
agreement,  and  each  and  every  article  thereof,  is  hereby,  on  the  part  of  said 
Society,  duly  adopted,  confirmed,  and  ratified. 

In  testimony  whereof,  we,  the  President  and  Secretary  of  the  Society, 

have  hereunto  signed  our  names,  and  affixed  the  Seal  of  the 

f L>  S'J    Society  this  2Gth  day  of  September,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  1823. 

C.  G.  HUEFFEL,  EP.  U.  FRR. 

President  United  Brethren's  Society  for  propagating  the  Gospel. 
JACOB  KUMMER. 

Secretary  of  the  Society. 


APPENDIX.  543 

Articles  of  agreement,  made  this  eight  day  of  November,  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty-three,  between  Lewis  Cass, 
Commissioner  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  and  Zacharias,  or  Koot- 
alees,  John  Henry,  or  Killbuck,  Charles  Henry,  or  Killbuck,  Francis  Henry 
or  Killbuck,  John  Peter,  Tobias,  John  Jacob,  and  Matthias,  or  Koolotshat- 
shees,  being  the  descendants  and  representatives  of  the  Christian  Indians, 
who  were  formerly  settled  upon  three  tracts  of  land,  lying  on  both  sides  of 
the  Muskingum  River,  in  the  State  of  Ohio,  containing  four  thousand  acres 
each,  which  were  granted  by  patent  from  the  United  States,  dated  February 
twenty-fourth,  seventeen  hundred  and  ninety-eight,  in  pursuance  of  the  act 
of  Congress  of  June  first,  seventeen  hundred  and  ninety-six,  entitled  "  An 
act  regulating  the  grants  of  land  appropriated  for  military  services,  and 
for  the  Society  of  the  United  Brethren  for  propagating  the  Gospel  among 
the  Heathen,"  to  the  said  Society  for  the  use  of  the  said  Christian  Indians, 
or  the  remains  of  that  society,  including  Killbuck  and  his  descendants, 
and  the  nephew  and  descendants  of  the  late  Captain  AVhite  Eyes,  Dela 
ware  Chiefs. 

ARTICLE  I.  The  descendants  and  representatives  aforesaid,  for  them 
selves  and  for  the  society  of  the  Christian  Indians  aforesaid,  do  hereby 
declare  their  full  assent  to  the  agreement  concluded  at  Gnadenhiitten,  in 
the  State  of  Ohio,  on  the  fourth  day  of  August,  one  thousand  eight  hun 
dred  and  twenty-three,  between  Lewis  Cass,  Commissioner  on  the  part  of 
the  United  States,  and  Lewis  D.  de  Schweinitz,  Agent  for  the  Society  of 
United  Brethren  aforesaid. 

ARTICLE  II.  The  said  descendants  and  representatives  do  for  themselves, 
and  for  the  Christian  Society  of  Indians  aforesaid,  forever  cede  to  the 
United  States  all  right  and  interest  in  and  to  the  tracts  of  land  before  de 
scribed,  the  use  of  which  was  granted  to  them  by  the  patent  and  act  of 
Congress  aforesaid. 

ARTICLE  III.  The  United  States  agree  to  pay  to  the  United  Christian 
Society  of  Indians,  an  annuity  of  four  hundred  dollars,  which  annuity  shall 
commence  as  soon  as  a  sum  is  received  from  the  sale  of  the  said  lands 
sufficient  as  a  principal  stock  to  produce  the  amount  of  four  hundred  dol 
lars,  at  an  interest  of  six  per  centum  per  annum.  But  the  proceeds  of  the 
sales  of  the  lands  are  to  be  applied  to  the  sums  secured  to  be  paid  to  the 
Society  of  United  Brethren,  and  to  the  lessees  described  in  the  sixth  article 
of  agreement,  executed  at  Gnadenhiitten  aforesaid,  before  the  creation  of 
the  principal  stock  provided  for  in  this  agreement,  and  the  annuity  of  four 
hundred  dollars  shall  continue  so  long  as  the  said  Society  of  Christian 
Indians  shall  occupy  their  present  residence. 

ARTICLE  IV.  It  is  further  agreed,  that,  should  the  said  Society  of  Chris 
tian  Indians  be  desirous  of  removing  from  their  present  residence,  the 
United  States  will  secure  to  them  a  reservation,  containing  not  less  than 


544 


APPENDIX. 


twenty-four  thousand  acres  of  land,  to  be  held  by  them  upon  the  usual 
condition  of  Indian  reservations,  so  long  as  they  shall  live  thereon ;  and 
when  the  said  Christian  Society  shall  remove  to  the  said  reservation,  then 
the  annuity  herein  granted  shall  cease. 

ARTICLE  V.    This  agreement  shall  be  obligatory  upon  the  parties,  when 
the  same  shall  be  ratified  by  the  United  States. 
Done  at  Detroit,  in  the  Territory  of  Michigan,  the  day  and  year  aforesaid. 

LEWIS  CASS, 

ZACHARIAS,  or  KOOTALEES,  his  x  mark, 

JOHN  HENRY, 

CHARLES  HENRY,  or  KILLBUCK,  his  x  mark, 

FRANCIS  HENRY,  or  KILLBUCK,  his  x  mark, 

JOHN  PETER,  his  x  mark, 

TOBIAS,  his  x  mark, 

JOHN  JACOB,  his  x  mark, 

MATTHIAS,  or  KOOLOTSHASKEES,  his  x  mark. 
In  presence  of 

R.  S.  FORSYTH, 
ADAM  AAMAN, 
HENRY  S.  COLES. 

The  contract  or  articles  of  agreement  entered  into  on  the  8th  day  of 
November,  1823,  between  Governor  Cass,  and  the  Representatives  of  the 
Christian  Indians,  for  the  tracts  of  land  specified  in  the  agreement,  and  on 

the  conditions  therein  contained,  is  approved. 

JAMES  MONROE. 
WASHINGTON,  FEBRUARY  10,  1824. 

NOTE. — The  deed  of  retrocession,  in  pursuance  of  the  foregoing  articles,  was  executed 
1st  April,  1824,  and  is  on  file  in  the  General  Land  Office. 


XI. 

(Page  453.) 

BOCKENGEHELAS,  THE  WAR-CHIEF  OF  THE  DELAWARES. 

The  name  of  this  noted  chief  is  written  Bukongehelas,  by  Judge  Bur- 
net  (Notes  p.  68),  and  is  still  preserved  to  designate  a  small  tributary  of  the 
Great  Miami,  in  Logan  county. 

Our  opinion  that  he  is  the  same  personage  who  was  prominent  in  Western 
Pennsylvania  during  the  French  and  English  war,  as  Shingess,  is  sus 
tained  by  the  fact  that  Heckewelder,  in  his  biographies  of  the  prominent 
Delawares  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio,  omits  altogether  to  mention  Shingess 


APPENDIX.  545 

(although  intimately  acquainted  with  him  at  Tuscarora,  in  17G4),  but  speaks 
of  "Buckengilla,  so  called  by  the  white  people/'  or  Pachgantschihillas,  as 
the  name  is  written  in  the  Moravian  Narrative.  This  adds  probability  to 
the  proposition  that  they  were  the  same  individual.  (Am.  Phil.  Trans 
vol.  iv.  p.  391.) 

We  first  hear  of  Shingess  in  1753.  Washington  then  crossed  the  Alle- 
ghanies  on  his  well  known  mission  to  the  western  tribes,  and  in  his  diary, 
after  describing  the  forks  of  the  Ohio,  near  Pittsburgh,  he  says  :  "About 
two  miles  from  this,  on  the  south-east  side  of  the  river,  at  the  place  where 
the  Ohio  company  intended  to  erect  a  fort,  lives  Shingess,  king  of  the  Del- 
a\vares."  Washington  called  upon  him  to  invite  him  to  council  at  the 
Logstown.  Shingess  at  first  attended,  but  afterwards  made  his  wife's  sick 
ness  an  excuse  for  absence.  He  was  probably  in  the  French  interest. 

In  175.1.  Shingess  was  so  active  in  the  border  war,  that  the  Governor  of 
Pennsylvania  offered  a  reward  of  seven  hundred  dollars  for  his  head,  and 
that  of  a  Captain  Jacobs.  In  Gordon's  Pennsylvania  (Appendix,  p.  618), 
several  of  the  expeditions  led  by  Shingess  are  detailed,  and  it  is  inciden 
tally  mentioned  that  a  prisoner,  one  John  Craig,  was  adopted  by  him  as  a 
son. 

During  the  French  and  English  war,  when  the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania 
sent  C.  F.  Post  to  negotiate  with  the  Ohio  tribes,  mention  is  often  made  in 
his  journal  of  Shingess,  and  uniformly  to  his  advantage.  On  the  first 
mission,  August  28,  1758,  Post  writes  :  ':  We  set  out  from  Sawcunk,  in  com 
pany  with  twenty,  for  Kushcushkee.  On  the  road,  Shingess  addressed 
himself  to  me,  and  asked  if  I  did  not  think  that  if  he  came  to  the  English 
they  would  hang  him,  as  they  had  offered  a  great  reward  for  his  head.  I 
told  him  that  was  a  great  Avhile  ago,  'twas  all  forgotten  and  wiped  away 
now."  Post  dined  with  Shingess  on  the  29th,  when  the  latter  observed, 
that  although  the  English  had  offered  a  great  reward  for  his  head,  yet  he 
had  never  thought  to  revenge  himself,  but  was  always  very  kind  to  such 
prisoners  as  were  brought  in,  and  that  he  would  do  all  in  his  power  to 
bring  about  a  peace,  and  wished  he  could  be  sure  the  English  were  in 
earnest  for  peace  also.  Heckewelder  says  of  Shingess,  that  he  was  "  the 
greatest  Delaware  warrior  of  his  time,"  and  that  were  his  war  exploits  on 
record,  they  would  form  an  interesting  document,  though  a  shocking  one. 
Mr.  Heckewelder  gives  him  a  good  character,  and  adds  (Hist.  Ind.  Na 
tions,  p.  204) :  "  Passing  one  day  with  him,  in  the  summer  of  1702,  [this  was 
at  Tuscarora,  on  the  Muskingum,  during  Post  and  Heckewelder's  unsuc 
cessful  mission,  ante  p.  187.]  near  by  where  his  two  prisoner  boys  (about 
twelve  years  of  age)  were  amusing  themselves  with  his  own  boys,  and  he 
observing  me  looking  that  way,  inquired  what  I  was  looking  at.  On  my 
replying  that  I  was  looking  at  his  prisoners,  he  said,  'When  I  first  took 
them,  they  were  such,  but  they  are  now  my  children;  eat  their  victuals  out 


546  APPENDIX. 

of  the  same  bowl !'  which  was  saying  as  much  as  that  they,  in  all  respects, 
were  on  an  equal  footing  with  his  own  children  —  alike  dear  to  him." 
Though  of  small  stature,  Heckewelder  observes,  Shingess  had  a  great 
mind. 

In  a  narrative  of  Hugh  Gibson's  captivity  among  the  Delaware  Indians 
(Transactions  Mass.  Hist.  Soc.,  3d  Series,  vol.  vi.  p.  146,)  he  mentions  the 
chief  as  living  in  1757,  at  the  mouth  of  Big  Beaver,  where  Gibson  "  re 
mained,  dwelling  in  king  Shingess'  tent,  until  autumn."  Gibson  states 
that  "  about  the  middle  of  October,  1758,  he  was  taken  to  Kus-ko-ra-vis," 
(Tuscarawas)  the  western  branch  of  Muskingum.  Custalogo,  or  King 
Beaver,  who  lived  at  this  town  of  Tuscarora  until  17G4,  was  a  brother  of 
Shingess,  and  Heckewelder's  Narrative  describes  the  latter  as  dwelling 
there  in  1762,  when  the  ceremony  of  mourning  for  the  loss  of  Shingess' 
wife  occurred,  as  already  described.  Ante,  chap.  xiv.  p.  193. 

When,  shortly  before  Col.  Bouquet's  expedition  to  the  Muskingum,  this 
Indian  town  was  deserted,  Shingess  removed  westward,  and  finally  was 
seated  on  the  Miami  of  the  Lake,  if  our  hypothesis  that  he  was  Bockenge- 
helas  is  admitted. 

His  appearances  by  the  latter  designation,  until  1787,  are  already  detailed 
in  the  preceding  pages.  His  salutation  of  General  Clark,  at  the  conference 
in  1786,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Miami,  is  usually  quoted  as  follows :  "  I 
thank  the  Great  Spirit  for  having  this  day  brought  together  two  such  great 
warriors  as  Bokongahelas  and  General  Clark."  See  Gen.  Butler's  narra 
tive  of  the  incident.  Ante,  p.  452. 

In  1791,  the  government  of  the  United  States  sent  Hendrick  Aupaumet, 
a  friendly  Mohican,  or  Stockbridge  chief,  as  an  envoy  to  the  Indian  villa 
ges  on  the  Maumee.  His  narrative  is  published  in  vol.  iii.  of  Pennsylvania 
Historical  Transactions,  page  61.  He  arrived  on  the  13th  of  July,  at  the 
"grand  council  fire,  called  the  Rapids,  about  eighteen  miles  from  the  mouth 
of  this  Miamie  River,"  where,  he  adds,  were  two  Delaware  towns,  in  one  of 
which  Captain  Pipe  resided.  Here  stood  Col.  McKee's  house  and  stores  for 
the  Indians,  at  that  time  under  the  charge  of  Captain  Elliott.  Captain 
Hendricks  delivered  his  messages,  and  long  talks  were  interchanged — first 
with  a  party  of  Delawares,  living  sixty  miles  up  the  river,  whose  Sachem 
was  named  Tautquhgtheet — then  with  a  deputation  of  Shawanese ;  and 
again  with  the  Delawares,  who  were  represented  by  "  Hobakon,  or  Pipe- 
Sachem,"  and  the  "  head  Her oe  of  the  Delawares,  named  PUCKONCHEHLUH." 
All  parties  then  adjourned,  to  "  meet  at  the  Glaze  or  Forks — Naukhunwh- 
nauk  —  where  the  Shawanese,  Delawares,  and  part  of  the  Miamis  had 
towns."  The  journey  was  by  water,  commencing  on  the  24th.  On  the 
27th,  they  "  arrived  at  the  first  village  of  the  Shawanese,  and  next  day  at 
the  Forks,  where  were  other  two  villages  of  Shawanny ;  also,  one  of  the 
towns  of  Delawares,  and  the  town  of  Wenuhtukowuk,  and  some  outcast 


APPENDIX.  547 

Cherokces,  and  part  of  the  Miamis,  and  about  eight  miles  from  this  place 
the  town  of  Big  Cat — this  town  the  last  on  the  river." 

On  the  1st  of  August,  while  waiting  the  arrival  of  deputies  from  western 
tribes,  Ilendrieks  says  :  "At  this  time  I  went  up  to  Big  Cat's  town  with  my 
brother  ;  arrived  there  in  the  evening  ;  went  to  the  house  of  Pohquonnop- 
pet,  the  Sachem — the  Delawares  having  left  word  that  we  should  give  them 
notice  of  my  coming.  Early  in  the  morning  of  the  2d  instant,  my  uncle 
sent  a  runner  to  inform  the  chiefs  that  we  were  arrived,  and  will  meet  them 
in  council.  My  business  was  to  comfort  Big  Cat  for  the  death  of  his 
brother,  who  died  last  spring.  He  was  the  chief  Sachem  of  the  Delawares; 
a/5o,  Pukonchehluh  for  the  death  of  his  son."  After  an  expression  of  con 
dolence,  Ilendrieks  mentions  that  the  "  Head  Hcroe,  whose  name  is  Puck- 
onchehluh,  got  up  Avith  the  strings  and  belt,"  and  made  a  suitable  response. 
He  alludes  to  him  afterwards  as  "  the  great  heroe."  On  the  28th  of  August, 
"  Wunummon.  or  Vermillion,  a  Heroe"  (probably  Wingemund),  appears 
on  the  stage,  and  although  the  Delaware  chiefs  seemed  pacific  in  their  dis 
positions,  yet  the  outside  pressure  was  too  great  for  the  Mohican  envoy  to 
accomplish  any  thing.  McKec  was  active — an  u  alarming  voice  "  from  the 
Shawancse  villages  near  the  Ohio,  announced  new  aggressions  by  the  Long 
Knives — Simon  Girty  made  his  ill-omened  appearance  on  the  20th,  and 
finally  there  arrived  some  messengers  from  the  wily  Brant,  to  turn  the 
scale  against  the  Americans.  The  peace  party  went  with  the  tide,  "the 
head  warrior,  Puckonchehluh,  in  response  to  the  message  of  the  Five  Na 
tions,  admitting  that  the  Indians,  who  were  one  color,  had  one  heart  and 
one  head,  and  that  if  one  nation  was  struck  all  must  feel  it."  Captain  Ilen 
drieks  was  wholly  unsuccessful,  although,  as  he  says,  "endeavoring  to  do 
his  best  in  the  business  of  peace." 

Drake,  in  his  "  Book  of  the  Indians,"  thus  notices  an  act  of  magnanimity 
by  Bockengehelas  in  the  following  year,  1792  :  "Col.  Hardin,  Major  True- 
man,  and  several  others,  were  sent,  in  May  of  that  year,  by  Washington, 
with  a  flag  of  truce,  to  the  Indian  nations  of  the  west,  particularly  the 
Maumee  towns.  They  having  arrived  near  the  Indian  town  of  Au  Glaize, 
on  the  south-west  branch  of  the  Miami  of  the  Lake,  fell  in  with  some  Indi 
ans,  who  treated  them  well  at  first,  and  made  many  professions  of  friend 
ship,  but  in  the  end  took  advantage  of  them,  while  off  their  guard,  and 
murdered  nearly  all  of  them.  The  interpreter  made  his  escape,  after  some 
time,  and  gave  an  account  of  the  transaction.  His  name  was  William 
Smalley,  and  he  had  been  some  time  before  with  the  Indians,  and  had 
learned  their  manners  and  customs,  which  gave  him  some  advantage  in 
being  able  to  save  himself.  He  was  at  first  conducted  to  Au  Glaize,  and  soon 
after  to  'Bukungahela,  king  of  the  Delawares,'  by  his  captors.  The  chief 
told  those  that  committed  the  murder,  "  he  was  very  sorry  they  had  killed 
the  men  ;  that  instead  of  so  doing,  they  should  have  brought  them  to  the 


548  APPENDIX. 

Indian  towns,  and  then,  if  what  they  had  to  say  had  not  been  liked,  it 
would  have  been  time  enough  to  have  killed  them  then.  Nothing,  he  said, 
'  could  justify  them  for  putting  them  to  death,  as  there  was  no  chance  for 
them  to  escape.'  The  truth  was,  they  killed  them  to  plunder  their  effects. 
Buckongahelas  took  Smally  into  his  cabin  and  showed  him  great  kindness ; 
told  him  to  stay  there  while  he  could  go  safely  to  his  former  Indian  friends. 
(He  having  been  adopted  into  an  Indian  family  in  place  of  one  who  had 
been  killed  in  his  former  captivity.)  While  here  with  Buckongahelas, 
which  was  near  a  month,  M.  Smally  said  the  chief  would  not  permit  him 
to  go  abroad  alone,  for  fear,  he  said,  that  the  young  Indians  would  kill 
him." 

Judge  Burnet,  in  his  Notes  on  the  North-west  Territory,  page  G8,  gives  a 
spirited  description  of  a  visit  to  "  the  venerable  old  Delaware  chief,  Bukon- 
gchclas,  who  was  living  at  the  Ottawa  town,  on  the  Auglaizc,"  during  which 
an  Indian  game  of  ball  was  ordered  for  the  amusement  of  the  white  guests. 

At  the  celebrated  treaty  of  Greenville,  August  3,  1795,  ''  Bukongehelas,  a 
Delaware  chief,"  in  his  speech  immediately  before  the  council  closed,  re 
marked,  proudly  :  '*  All  who  know  me,  know  me  to  be  a  man  and  a  war 
rior  ;  and  I  now  declare,  that  I  will,  for  the  future,  be  as  strong  and  steady 
a  friend  to  the  United  States  as  I  have  heretofore  been  an  active  enemy." 
An  incident  of  the  war  then  closed,  with  some  further  particulars  of  this 
remarkable  character,  arc  copied  from  Thatcher's  Indian  Biography,  vol. 
ii.  p.  177-9,  as  follows  : 

';IIc  (Buckongahelas)  was  indeed  the  most  distinguished  warrior  in  the 
Indian  confederacy,  and  as  it  was  the  British  interest  which  had  induced 
the  Indians  to  commence,  as  well  as  to  continue  the  war,  Buckongahelas 
relied  on  their  support  and  protection.  This  support  had  been  given,  so 
far  as  relates  to  provisions,  arms,  and  ammunition ;  and  in  the  celebrated 
engagement,  on  the  20th  of  August,  1794,  which  resulted  in  a  complete 
victory  by  General  Wayne  over  the  combined  hostile  tribes,  there  were  said 
to  be  two  companies  of  British  militia  from  Detroit  on  the  side  of  the  Indians. 
But  the  gates  of  FortMimms  being  shut  against  the  retreating  and  wounded 
Indians,  after  the  battle,  opened  the  eyes  of  Buckongahelas,  and  he  deter 
mined  upon  an  immediate  peace  with  the  United  States,  and  a  total  aban 
donment  of  the  British.  He  assembled  his  tribe  and  embarked  them  in 
canoes,  with  the  design  of  proceeding  up  the  river,  and  sending  a  flag  of 
truce  to  Fort  Wayne.  Upon  approaching  the  British  fort,  he  was  requested 
to  land,  and  he  did  so  :  'What  have  you  to  say  to  me?'  said  he,  addressing 
the  officer  of  the  day.  It  was  replied,  that  the  commanding  officer  wished 
to  speak  with  him.  '  Then  he  may  come  here,'  was  the  reply.  '  He  will 
not  do  that,'  said  the  officer,  '  and  you  will  not  be  suffered  to  pass  the  fort 
if  you  do  not  comply.'  '  What  shall  prevent  me?'  said  the  intrepid  chief. 
'  These,'  said  the  officer,  pointing  to  the  cannon  of  the  fort.  '  I  fear  not 


APPENDIX.  549 

your  cannon,'  replied  the  chief.  '  After  suffering  the  Americans  to  defile 
your  spring,  without  daring  to  fire  on  them,  you  cannot  expect  to  frighten 
Buckongahelas  ;'  and  he  ordered  the  canoes  to  push  off,  and  passed  the 
fort. 

'•  Xever  after  this  would  he,  like  the  other  chiefs,  visit  the  British,  or  re 
ceive  presents  from  them.  '  Had  the  great  Buckingehelos  lived,'  says  Mr. 
Dawson.  alluding  to  these  circumstances,  (he  would  not  have  suffered  the 
schemes  projected  by  the  prophet  (brother  of  Tecumseh)  to  be  matured.' 
And  the  same  writer  states,  that  on  his  death-bed  he  earnestly  advised  his 
tribe  to  rely  on  the  friendship  of  the  United  States,  and  desert  the  cause 
of  the  British.  This  was  in  1804. 

':  In  Dawson's  Memoirs  of  Harrison,  Buckongahelas  is  mentioned  as  being 
present  at  a  council  of  the  chiefs  of  various  tribes,  called  at  Fort  Wayne  in 
1803,  for  the  purpose  of  ratifying  a  negotiation  for  land,  already  proposed 
in  a  former  one  which  met  at  Vinccnnes.  The  Governor  carried  his  point, 
chiefly  by  the  aid  of  an  influential  Miami  chief,  and  by  being  '•boldly 
seconded  in  every  proposition  by  the  Pottawatamies,  who  (as  Mr.  Dawson 
states),  were  entirely  devoted  to  the  Governor.'  It  is  not  our  intention  here  to 
liscuss  at  length  the  character  of  this  transaction,  which  rather  belongs  to 
the  general  history  of  the  period.  How  the  Delaware  chief  and  the  Shaw- 
anees  understood  it,  and  how  they  expressed  their  sentiments,  may  be  in 
ferred  from  the  following  statement  of  Dawson  : 

"  'When  the  transaction  at  the  council  of  Vincenncs  was  mentioned,  it 
called  forth  all  the  wrath  of  the  Delawares  and  the  Shawancse.  The  re 
spected  Buckingehelos  so  far  forgot  himself  that  he  interrupted  the  Gov 
ernor,  and  declared  with  vehemence,  that  nothing  that  was  done  at  Vin- 
cennes  was  binding  upon  the  Indians ;  that  the  land  which  was  there 
decided  to  be  the  property  of  the  United  States,  belonged  to  the  Delawares  ; 
and  that  he  had  then  with  him  a  chief  who  had  been  present  at  the  transfer 
made  by  the  Piankishaws  to  the  Delawares  of  all  the  country  between  the 
Ohio  and  White  rivers,  more  than  thirty  years  before.  The  Shawanese 
went  still  further,  and  behaved  with  so  much  insolence  that  the  Governor 
was  obliged  to  tell  them  that  they  were  undutiful  and  rebellious  children, 
and  that  he  would  withdraw  his  protection  from  them  until  they  had  learnt 
to  behave  themselves  with  more  propriety.  These  chiefs  immediately  left 
the  council  house  in  a  body.' 

"  Subsequently  the  Shawanecs  submitted,  though  it  does  not  appear  that 
Buckongahelas  set  them  the  example :  and  thus,  says  the  historian,  the 
Governor  overcame  all  opposition,  and  carried  his  point. 

"  It  is  said  of  Buckongahelas,  that  no  Christian  knight  ever  was  more 
scrupulous  in  performing  all  his  engagements.  Indeed  he  had  all  the 
qualifications  of  a  great  hero — a  perfect  Indian  independence — the  inde 
pendence  of  a  noble  nature,  unperceived  to  itself,  and  unaffected  to  others." 


550  APPENDIX. 

XII. 

(Page  459.) 

SUBSEQUENT  INDIAN  TREATIES. 

The  following  signatures  of  Ohio  Indians  to  subsequent  treaties  arc  com 
piled  for  the  sake  of  comparison  by  the  curious.  To  the  treaty  at  Green 
ville,  Aug.  3,  1795,  the  following  names,  among  many  others,  are  attached : 

Wyandots. — Tarhe,  (or  Crane),  J.  Williams,  jr.,  Tcy-yagh-taw,  Ha-ro-cn- 
yow,  (or  Half  King's  son),  Te-haaw-to-rens,  Aw-me-yee-ray,  Staye-tah, 
Ska-tey-ya-ron-yah,  (or  Leather  Lips),  Daugh-shut-tay-ah,  Sha-aw-run-the. 

Shawanese. — Mis-qua-coo-na-caw,  (or  Red  Pole),  Cut-the-we-ka-saw,  (or 
Black  Hoof),  Kay-se-wa-e-sc-kah,  Wey-tha-pa-mat-tha,  Nia-wym-sc-ka, 
Way-the-ah,  (or  Long  Shanks),  Wcy-a-pier-sen-waw,  (or  Blue  Jacket),  Ne- 
que-taugh-aw,  Hah-goo-see-kaw,  (or  Captain  Reed.) 

Delawares. — Teta-boksh-kee,  (or  Grand  Glaise  King),  Le-man-tan-quis,  (or 
Black  King),  \Va-bat-thoe,  Magh-pi-way,  (or  Red  Feather,)  Kik-tha-we- 
nund,  (or  Anderson),  Bu-kon-ge-he-las,  Peikee-lund,  Welle-baw-kee-lunds, 
Peikee-tele-mund,  (or  Thomas  Adams),  Kish-ko-pe-kund,  (or  Captain  Buf 
falo),  Ame-na-he-han,  (or  Captain  Crow),  Que-shawk-sey,  (or  George  Wash 
ington),  Wey-Win-gins,  (or  Billy  Siscomb),  Moses. 

Ottawas. — Au-goosh-away,  Kee-no-sha-mcek,  La  Malice,  Ma-chi-we-tah, 
Tho-wo-na-wa,  Se-cah,  Chc-go-nicks-ka,  (an  Ottawa  from  Sandusky). 

Delawares  of  Sandusky.  —  Haw-kin-pum-is-ka,  Pey-a-mawk-sey,  Reyn- 
tue-co,  (of  the  Six  Nations  living  at  Sandusky). 

Witnesses.— H.  De  Butts,  first  A.  D.  C.,  and  Secretary  to  M.  G.  Wayne, 
Wm.  II.  Harrison,  Aid-de-Camp  to  M.  G.  Wayne,  T.  Lewis,  Aid-de-Camp  to 
M.  G.  Wayne,  James  O'Hara,  Quarter  Master  General,  John  Mills,  Major 
of  Infantry  and  Adjutant  General,  Caleb  Swan,  P.  M.  T.  U.  S.,  Geo.  Dem- 
ten,  Lieut.  Artillery,  Vigo,  P.  fris  La  Fontaine,  Ant.  Lasselle,  II.  Laselle,  Jn. 
Bean  Bien,  David  Jones,  Chaplain  U.  S.  L.,  Lewis  Beufait,  R.  Lachambre, 
Jas.  Pepen,  Baties  Coutien,  P.  Navarre. 

Sworn  Interpreters. — Wm.  Wells,  Jacques  Laselle,  M.  Morins,  Bt.  Sans 
Crainte,  Christopher  Miller,  Robert  Wilson,  Abraham  jxj  Williams,  Isaac  t^ 
Zane. 

June  7,  1803. — Gen.  Harrison  concluded  a  treaty  defining  the  extent  of 
the  reservation  at  Vincennes  by  the  treaty  of  Greenville.  Among  the  Del 
awares  signing  it  was  "  Bu-kon-ige-helas  "  and  John  Johnston,  U.  S.  Factor, 
and  Hendrick  Aupaumet.  chief  of  Muhhecon,  were  witnesses. 

On  the  18th  of  August,  1804,  the  Delawares  ceded  a  tract  of  country  be 
tween  the  Ohio  and  Wabash  rivers,  and  below  the  tract  ceded  by  the  treaty 


APPENDIX.  551 

of  Fort  Wayne  and  the  road  leading  from  Vincennes  to  the  Falls  of  the 
Ohio.  The  Delawares  signing  it  were,  Teta  Buxika,  Bokongehelas,  Alimee, 
or  George  White  Eyes,  Hocking  Pomskann,  Tomaquee,  or  the  Bearer. 

The  United  States  recognized  the  right  of  the  Delawares  to  the  country 
bounded  by  the  White  River  on  the  north,  the  Ohio  on  the  south,  the  gen 
eral  boundary  line  running  from  the  mouth  of  the  Kentucky  river  on  the 
east,  and  the  tract  ceded  by  the  treaty  of  Fort  Wayne  on  the  west  and  south. 


At  the  treaty  of  Fort  Industry,  on  the  Maumee  river  (July  4,  1805),  relin 
quishing  the  title  to  the  Western  Reserve,  the  following  Indians  partici 
pated  : 

Ottawas. — Nckirk,  or  Little  Otter,  Kanachewan,  or  Eddy,  Mechimcn- 
duck,  or  Big  Bowl,  Aubaway,  Ogonse,  Sawgamaw,  Tusquagan,  or  McCarty, 
Toncla \vgamc,  or  the  Dog,  Ashawet. 

Shaicanecs. — Weyapurscawaw,  or  Blue  Jacket,  Cutheaweasaw,  or  Black 
Hoof,  Anonaseehla,  or  Civil  Man,  Isaac  Peters. 

Wyandots. — Tarhee,  or  the  Crane,  Miere,  or  Walk  in  Water,  Thateyyana- 
yoh,  or  Leather  Lips,  Tschanendah,  Tahunehawetee,  or  Adam  Brown, 
Shawrunthie. 

Munsee  and  Delaware. — Puchconsittorid,  Paahmelot,  Pamoxet,  or  Arm 
strong,  Pappellclond,  or  Beaver  Hat. 


XIII. 

(Page  513.) 

ORDINANCE  OF  1787. 

The  following  important  document  is  transferred  from  Land  Laws  of  the 
United  States  (Edition  of  1828),  page  356: 

An  Ordinance  for  the  government  of  the  Territory  of  the  United  States  Northwest  of  the 

river  Ohio. 

Be  it  ordained  by  the  United  States  in  Congress  Assembled,  That  the  said 
territory,  for  the  purposes  of  temporary  government,  be  one  district,  subject, 
however,  to  be  divided  into  two  districts,  as  future  circumstances  may,  in 
the  opinion  of  Congress,  make  it  expedient. 

Be  it  ordained  by  the  authority  aforesaid,  That  the  estates,  both  of  resident 
and  non-resident  proprietors  in  the  said  territorjr,  dying  intestate,  shall  de 
scend  to,  and  be  distributed  among,  their  children,  and  the  descendants  of 
a  deceased  child,  in  equal  parts  ;  the  descendants  of  a  deceased  child  or  grand 
child  to  take  the  share  of  their  deceased  parent  in  equal  parts  among  them : 


552  t  APPENDIX. 

And  where  there  shall  be  no  children  or  descendants,  then  in  equal  parts  to 
the  next  of  kin  in  equal  degree ;  and,  among  collaterals,  the  children  of  a 
deceased  brother  or  sister  of  the  intestate  shall  have,  in  equal  parts  among 
them,  their  deceased  parents'  share;  and  there  shall,  in  no  case,  be  a  dis 
tinction  between  kindred  of  the  whole  and  half-blood;  saving,  in  all  cases, 
to  the  widow  of  the  intestate  her  third  part  of  the  real  estate  for  life,  and 
one-third  part  of  the  personal  estate ;  and  this  law,  relative  to  descents  and 
dower,  shall  remain  in  full  force  until  altered  by  the  legislature  of  the  dis 
trict.  And,  until  the  governor  and  judges  shall  adopt  laws  as  hereinafter 
mentioned,  estates  in  the  said  territory  may  be  devised  or  bequeathed  by 
wills  in  writing,  signed  and  sealed  by  him  or  her,  in  whom  the  estate  may  be 
(being  of  full  age,)  and  attested  by  three  witnesses ;  and  real  estates  may  be 
conveyed  by  lease  and  release,  or  bargain  and  sale,  signed,  sealed,  and  deliv 
ered  by  the  person,  being  of  full  age,  in  whom  the  estate  may  be,  and  attest 
ed  by  two  witnesses,  provided  such  wills  be  duly  proved,  and  such  convey 
ances  be  acknowledged,  or  the  execution  thereof  duly  proved,  and  be 
recorded  within  one  year  after  proper  magistrates,  courts,  and  registers 
shall  be  appointed  for  that  purpose ;  and  personal  property  may  be  trans 
ferred  by  delivery ;  saving,  however  to  the  French  and  Canadian  inhabi 
tants,  and  other  settlers  of  the  Kaskaskias,  St.  Vincents,  and  the  neighbor 
ing  villages  who  have  heretofore  professed  themselves  citizens  of  Virginia, 
their  laws  and  customs  now  in  force  among  them,  relative  to  the  descent 
and  conveyance  of  property. 

Be  it  ordained  by  the  authority  aforesaid,  That  there  shall  be  appointed, 
from  time  to  time,  by  Congress,  a  governor,  whose  commission  shall  con 
tinue  in  force  for  the  term  of  three  years,  unless  sooner  revoked  by  Con 
gress  ;  he  shall  reside  in  the  district,  and  have  a  freehold  estate  therein  in 
1000  acres  of  land,  while  in  the  exercise  of  his  office. 

There  shall  be  appointed,  from  time  to  time,  by  Congress,  a  secretary, 
whose  commission  shall  continue  in  force  for  four  years  unless  sooner 
revoked ;  he  shall  reside  in  the  district,  and  have  a  freehold  estate  therein 
in  500  acres  of  land,  while  in  the  exercise  of  his  office  ;  it  shall  be  his  duty 
to  keep  and  preserve  the  acts  and  laws  passed  by  the  legislature,  and  the 
public  records  of  the  district,  and  the  proceedings  of  the  governor  in  his 
Executive  department ;  and  transmit  authentic  copies  of  such  acts  and 
proceedings,  every  six  months,  to  the  secretary  of  Congress :  There  shall 
also  be  appointed  a  court  to  consist  of  three  judges,  any  two  of  whom  to 
form  a  court,  who  shall  have  a  common  law  jurisdiction,  and  reside  in  the 
district,  and  have  each  therein  a  freehold  estate  in  500  acres  of  land  while 
in  the  exercise  of  their  offices ;  and  their  commissions  shall  continue  in 
force  during  good  behavior. 

The  governor  and  judges,  or  a  majority  of  them,  shall  adopt  and  publish 
in  the  district  such  laws  of  the  original  States,  criminal  arid  civil,  as  may 


APPENDIX.  553 

be  necessary  and  best  suited  to  the  circumstances  of  the  district,  and  report 
them  to  Congress  from  time  to  time ;  which  laws  shall  be  in  force  in  the 
district  until  the  organization  of  the  General  Assembly  therein,  unless  dis 
approved  of  by  Congress;  but,  afterwards,  the  legislature  shall  have 
authority  to  alter  them  as  they  shall  think  fit. 

The  governor,  for  the  time  being,  shall  be  commander-in-chief  of  the 
militia,  appoint  and  commission  all  officers  in  the  same  below  the  rank  of 
general  officers;  all  general  officers  shall  be  appointed  and  commissioned 
by  Congress. 

Previous  to  the  organization  of  the  General  Assembly,  the  governor  shall 
appoint  such  magistrates  and  other  civil  officers,  in  each  county  or  town 
ship,  as  he  shall  find  necessary  for  the  preservation  of  the  peace  and  good 
order  in  the  same :  After  the  General  Assembly  shall  be  organized,  the 
powers  and  duties  of  the  magistrates  and  other  civil  officers,  shall  be  regu 
lated  and  defined  by  the  said  assembly;  but  all  magistrates  and  other  civil 
officers,  not  herein  otherwise  directed,  shall,  during  the  continuance  of  this 
temporary  government,  be  appointed  by  the  governor. 

For  the  prevention  of  crimes  and  injuries,  the  laws  to  be  adopted  or 
made  shall  have  force  in  all  parts  of  the  district,  and  for  the  execution 
of  process,  criminal  and  civil,  the  governor  shall  make  proper  divisions 
thereof;  and  he  shall  proceed,  from  time  to  time,  as  circumstances  may 
require,  to  lay  out  the  parts  of  the  district  in  which  the  Indian  titles  shall 
have  been  extinguished,  into  counties  and  townships,  subject,  however,  to 
such  alterations  as  may  thereafter  be  made  by  the  legislature. 

So  soon  as  there  shall  be  5000  free  male  inhabitants  of  full  age  in  the 
district,  upon  giving  proof  thereof  to  the  governor,  they  shall  receive 
authority,  with  time  and  place,  to  elect  representatives  from  their  counties 
or  townships  to  represent  them  in  the  General  Assembly:  Provided,  That, 
for  every  500  free  male  inhabitants,  there  shall  be  one  representative,  and 
so  on  progressively  with  the  number  of  free  male  inhabitants,  shall  the 
right  of  representation  increase,  until  the  number  of  representatives  shall 
amount  to  25 ;  after  which,  the  number  and  proportion  of  representatives 
shall  be  regulated  by  the  legislature :  Provided,  That  no  person  be  eligible 
or  qualified  to  act  as  a  representative  unless  he  shall  have  been  a  citizen 
of  one  of  the  United  States  three  years,  and  be  a  resident  in  the  district,  or 
unless  he  shall  have  resided  in  the  district  three  years  ;  and,  in  either  case, 
shall  likewise  hold  in  his  own  right,  in  fee  simple,  200  acres  of  land  within 
the  same :  Provided,  also,  That  a  freehold  in  50  acres  of  land  in  the  district, 
having  been  a  citizen  of  one  of  the  States,  and  being  resident  in  the  dis 
trict,  or  the  like  freehold  and  two  years  residence  in  the  district,  shall  be 
necessary  to  qualify  a  man  as  an  elector  of  a  representative. 

The  representatives  thus  elected,  shall  serve  for  the  term  of  two  years ; 
and,  in  case  of  the  death  of  a  representative,  or  removal  from  office,  the 
24 


554  APPENDIX. 

governor  shall  issue  a  writ  to  the  county  or  township  for  which  he  was  a 
member,  to  elect  another  in  his  stead,  to  serve  for  the  residue  of  the  term. 

The  General  Assembly,  or  Legislature,  shall  consist  of  the  governor, 
legislative  council,  and  a  house  of  representatives.  The  legislative  council 
shall  consist  of  five  members,  to  continue  in  office  five  years,  unless  sooner 
removed  by  Congress  ;  any  three  of  whom  to  be  a  quorum  :  and  the  mem 
bers  of  the  council  shall  be  nominated  and  appointed  in  the  following 
manner,  to  wit :  As  soon  as  representatives  shall  be  elected,  the  governor 
shall  appoint  a  time  and  place  for  them  to  meet  together :  and,  when  met, 
they  shall  nominate  ten  persons,  residents  in  the  district,  and  each  pos 
sessed  of  a  freehold  in  500  acres  of  land,  and  return  their  names  to  Con 
gress  ;  five  of  whom  Congress  shall  appoint  and  commission  to  serve  as 
aforesaid  ;  and,  whenever  a  vacancy  shall  happen  in  the  council,  by  death 
or  removal  from  office,  the  house  of  representatives  shall  nominate  two 
persons,  qualified  as  aforesaid,  for  each  vacancy,  and  return  their  names  to 
Congress ;  one  of  whom  Congress  shall  appoint  and  commission  for  the 
residue  of  the  term.  And  every  five  years,  four  months  at  least  before  the 
expiration  of  the  time  of  service  of  the  members  of  council,  the  said  house 
shall  nominate  ten  persons,  qualified  as  aforesaid,  and  return  their  names 
to  Congress ;  five  of  whom  Congress  shall  appoint  and  commission  to  serve 
as  members  of  the  council  five  years,  unless  sooner  removed.  And  the 
governor,  legislative  council,  and  house  of  representatives,  shall  have 
authority  to  make  laws  in  all  cases,  for  the  good  government  of  the  dis 
trict,  not  repugnant  to  the  principles  and  articles  in  this  ordinance  estab 
lished  and  declared.  And  all  bills,  having  passed  by  a  majority  in  the 
house,  and  by  a  majority  in  the  council,  shall  be  referred  to  the  governor 
for  his  assent ;  but  no  bill,  or  legislative  act  whatever,  shall  be  of  any  force 
without  his  assent.  The  governor  shall  have  power  to  convene,  prorogue, 
and  dissolve  the  General  Assembly,  when,  in  his  opinion,  it  shall  be  expe 
dient. 

The  governor,  judges,  legislative  council,  secretary,  and  such  other  offi 
cers  as  Congress  shall  appoint  in  the  district,  shall  take  an  oath  or  affirma 
tion  of  fidelity  and  of  office ;  the  governor  before  the  president  of  Con 
gress,  and  all  other  officers  before  the  governor.  As  soon  as  a  legislature 
shall  be  formed  in  the  district,  the  council  and  house  assembled  in  one 
room,  shall  have  authority,  by  joint  ballot,  to  elect  a  delegate  to  Congress, 
who  shall  have  a  seat  in  Congress,  with  a  right  of  debating  but  not  of  voting 
during  this  temporary  government. 

And,  for  extending  the  fundamental  principles  of  civil  and  religious 
liberty,  which  form  the  basis  whereon  these  republics,  their  laws  and  con 
stitutions  are  erected;  to  fix  and  establish  those  principles  as  the  basis  of 
all  laws,  constitutions  and  governments,  which  forever  hereafter  shall  be 
formed  in  the  said  territory  :  to  provide  also  for  the  establishment  of  States, 


APPENDIX.  555 

and  permanent  government  therein,  and  for  their  admission  to  a  share  in 
the  federal  councils  on  an  equal  footing  with  the  original  States,  at  as  early 
periods  as  may  be  consistent  with  the  general  interest: 

It  is  hereby  ordained  and  declared  by  the  authority  aforesaid,  That  the  fol 
lowing  articles  shall  be  considered  as  articles  of  compact  between  the  ori 
ginal  States  and  the  people  and  States  in  the  said  territory,  and  forever  remain 
unalterable,  unless  by  common  consent,  to  wit : 

ART.  1st.  Xo  person,  demeaning  himself  in  a  peaceable  and  orderly 
manner,  shall  ever  be  molested  on  account  of  his  mode  of  worship  or  reli 
gious  sentiments,  in  the  said  territory. 

AIIT.  2d.  The  inhabitants  of  the  said  territory  shall  always  be  entitled 
to  the  benefits  of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  and  of  the  trial  by  jury ;  of  a 
proportionate  representation  of  the  people  in  the  legislature:  and  of  judi 
cial  proceedings  according  to  the  course  of  the  common  law.  All  persons 
shall  be  bailable,  unless  for  capital  offences,  where  the  proof  shall  be  evi 
dent  or  the  presumption  great.  All  fines  shall  be  moderate  ;  and  no  cruel 
or  unusual  punishments  shall  be  inflicted.  No  man  shall  be  deprived  of 
his  liberty  or  property,  but  by  the  judgment  of  his  peers  or  the  law  of  the 
land ;  and,  should  the  public  exigencies  make  it  necessary,  for  the  common 
preservation,  to  take  any  person's  property,  or  to  demand  his  particular 
services,  full  compensation  shall  be  made  for  the  same.  And,  in  the  just 
preservation  of  rights  and  property,  it  is  understood  and  declared,  that 
no  law  ought  ever  to  be  made,  or  have  force  in  the  said  territory,  that  shall, 
in  any  manner  whatever,  interfere  with  or  affect  private  contracts  or  en 
gagements,  bona  fide,  and  without  fraud,  previously  formed. 

ART.  3d.  Religion,  morality,  and  knowledge,  being  necessary  to  good 
government  and  the  happiness  of  mankind,  schools  and  the  means  of  edu 
cation  shall  forever  be  encouraged.  The  utmost  good  faith  shall  always  be 
observed  towards  the  Indians ;  their  lands  and  property  shall  never  be 
taken  from  them  without  their  consent ;  and,  in  their  property,  rights,  and 
liberty,  they  shall  never  be  invaded  or  disturbed,  unless  in  just  and  lawful 
wars  authorized  by  Congress;  but  laws  founded  in  justice  and  humanity, 
shall,  from  time  to  time,  be  made  for  preventing  wrongs  being  done  to 
them,  and  for  preserving  peace  and  friendship  with  them. 

ART.  4th.  The  said  territory,  and  the  States  which  may  be  formed 
therein,  shall  forever  remain  a  part  of  this  confederacy  of  the  United  States 
of  America,  subject  to  the  Articles  of  Confederation,  and  to  such  altera 
tions  therein  as  shall  be  constitutionally  made;  and  to  all  the  acts  and 
ordinances  of  the  United  States  in  Congress  assembled,  conformable  thereto. 
The  inhabitants  and  settlers  in  the  said  territory  shall  be  subject  to  pay  a 
part  of  the  federal  debts  contracted  or  to  be  contracted,  and  a  proportional 
part  of  the  expenses  of  government,  to  be  apportioned  on  them  by  Con 
gress  according  to  the  same  common  rule  and  measure  by  which  appor- 


556  APPENDIX. 

tionments  thereof  shall  be  made  on  the  other  States ;  and  the  taxes,  for 
paying  their  proportion,  shall  be  laid  and  levied  by  the  authority  and 
direction  of  the  legislatures  of  the  district  or  districts,  or  new  States,  as  in 
the  original  States,  within  the  time  agreed  upon  by  the  United  States  in 
Congress  assembled.  The  legislatures  of  those  districts  or  new  States, 
shall  never  interfere  with  the  primary  disposal  of  the  soil  by  the  United 
States  in  Congress  assembled,  nor  with  any  regulations  Congress  may  find 
necesary  for  securing  the  title  in  such  soil  to  the  bonaftde  purchasers.  No 
tax  shall  be  imposed  on  lands  the  property  of  the  United  States ;  and,  in 
no  case,  shall  non-resident  proprietors  be  taxed  higher  than  residents. 
The  navigable  waters  leading  into  the  Mississippi  and  St.  Lawrence,  and 
the  carrying  places  between  the  same,  shall  be  common  highways,  and 
forever  free,  as  well  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  said  territory  as  to  the  citi 
zens  of  the  United  States,  arid  those  of  any  other  States  that  may  be  ad 
mitted  into  the  Confederacy,  without  any  tax,  impost,  or  duty,  therefor. 

ART.  5th.  There  shall  be  formed  in  the  said  territory,  not  less  than  three 
nor  more  than  five  States ;  and  the  boundaries  of  the  States,  as  soon  as 
Virginia  shall  alter  her  act  of  cession,  and  consent  to  the  same,  shall  be 
come  fixed  and  established  as  follows,  to  wit:  The  Western  State  in  the 
said  territory,  shall  be  bounded  by  the  Mississippi,  the  Ohio,  and  Wabash 
rivers ;  a  direct  line  drawn  from  the  Wabash  and  Post  St.  Vincent's,  due 
North,  to  the  territorial  line  between  the  United  States  and  Canada ;  and, 
by  the  said  territorial  line,  to  the  Lake  of  the  Woods  and  Mississippi.  The 
middle  State  shall  be  bounded  l>y  the  said  direct  line,  the  Wabash  from 
Tost  Vincent's,  to  the  Ohio  ;  by  the  Ohio,  by  a  direct  line,  drawn  due  North 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Miami,  to  the  said  territorial  line,  and  by  the 
said  territorial  line.  The  Eastern  State  shall  be  bounded  by  the  last  men 
tioned  direct  line,  the  Ohio,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  said  territorial  line: 
Provided,  however,  and  it  is  further  understood  and  declared,  that  the  boun 
daries  of  these  three  States  shall  be  subject  so  far  to  be  altered,  that,  if 
Congress  shall  hereafter  find  it  expedient,  they  shall  have  authority  to 
form  one  or  two  States  in  that  part  of  the  said  territory  which  lies  North 
of  an  East  and  West  line  drawn  through  the  Southerly  bend  or  extreme 
of  lake  Michigan.  And,  whenever  any  of  the  said  States  shall  have  00,000 
free  inhabitants  therein,  such  State  shall  be  admitted,  by  its  delegates,  into 
the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  on  an  equal  footing  with  the  original 
States  in  all  respects  whatever,  and  shall  beat  liberty  to  form  a  permanent 
constitution  and  State  government:  Provided,  the  constitution  and  govern 
ment  so  to  be  formed,  shall  be  republican,  and  in  conformity  to  the  princi 
ples  contained  in  these  articles ;  and,  so  far  as  it  can  be  consistent  with 
the  general  interest  of  the  confederacy,  such  admission  shall  be  allowed  at 
un  earlier  period,  and  when  there  may  be  a  less  number  of  free  inhabitants 
in  the  State  than  60,000. 


APPENDIX.  557 

ART.  Gtli.  There  shall  be  neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude  in 
the  said  territory,  otherwise  than  in  the  punishment  of  crimes,  whereof  the 
party  shall  have  been  duly  convicted  :  Provided,  always,  That  any  person 
escaping  into  the  same,  from  whom  labor  or  service  is  lawfully  claimed  in 
any  one  of  the  original  States,  such  fugitive  may  be  lawfully  reclaimed  and 
conveyed  to  the  person  claiming  his  or  her  labor  or  service  as  aforesaid. 

Be  it  ordained  by  the  authority  aforesaid,  That  the  resolutions  of  the  23d 
of  April,  178-1,  relative  to  the  subject  of  this  ordinance,  be,  and  the  same 
are  hereby  repealed  and  declared  null  and  void.  Done,  &c. 


M1Q8O97 


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